4 ms·

Tcl Programming/Tk Examples

63 points by martinlaz 3y ago

buescher 3y ago
I’ve said it before, but I’d love to see a best-practices CRUD app done in tcl, tk, and SQLite along the lines of the north winds thing from Microsoft. The SQLite interface in tcl is a thing of beauty to rival tk.
- pjmlp 3y ago
  Besides AOLServer, there were Safelayer and Vignette. However you will only get to see AOLServer's source code, as the latter two were proprietary.
- testbjjl 3y ago
  Look at AOLServer, yes that AOL. https://aolserver.github.io/ https://aolserver.github.io/
  - buescher 3y ago
    Sure, desktop CRUD apps have been obsolete for 25 years, but I meant a desktop application in tk. Also, an example application like Northwinds, not a framework. Not exactly what I’m thinking either, but look at how concise pgaccess (for postgresql) was.
- iso8859-1 3y ago
  Not too surprising since D. Richard Hipp is both contributing to SQLite and Tcl.
- wduquette 3y ago
  I used SQLite with Tcl for many years, and yes, it truly is.
blacksqr 3y ago
Tcl is markdown for programming logic.
- keyle 3y ago
  ... if programming logic was riding a dragon, with rockets, on top of a minivan.
harry8 3y ago
Tcl/Tk is cool. Tcl/Tk makes UI's that jar in an ugly, immediately recognisable as "old-fashioned" way. This matters to users whether we like it or not. It would be a very niche commercial software project that used it for its UI no matter how beautifully elegant the functionality of its UI. Best ever UI will still elicit an "Ew, yuk." From the majority of its users. Graphical UIs have been de rigeur for what, 30+ years? We still suck at the tools to program them which are all a pain in the backside to use even when making something very simple and expected. We still suck at programming these UIs when we use them. All of them. I have no answers to this.
- badsectoracula 3y ago
  AC3D[0] is a 3D mesh editor that uses Tcl/Tk for the UI with the core functionality being in C. The "ttk" subset of controls is themable and AC3D has its own theme[1] which, at least to me, it doesn't look that different from the themes of other 3D software. Though it also allows you to edit and create your own themes and personally i made this[2] which i like better (though i think the people who belong in that "majority of users" group you imagine are more likely to elicit that "Ew, yuk." from my theme :-P). [0] http://www.inivis.com/ http://www.inivis.com/ [1] https://i.imgur.com/BgALLkH.png https://i.imgur.com/BgALLkH.png [2] https://i.imgur.com/uQcOa6J.png https://i.imgur.com/uQcOa6J.png
- jhbadger 3y ago
  I remember 20 years ago that half of Linux GUI apps were Tcl/Tk. Yes, people made fun of them for not being "native", but I'd much prefer a Tcl/Tk app over a modern Electron one.
  - harry8 3y ago
    I hear you. Don't you think it's a shame that in 20 years we haven't got anything that is actually better? Easier to program? Easier to design for usability? Better looking? I would have guessed we would have. Delphi/kylix, VB, gtk+, qt, win-whatever, mac-whatever, wx, electron. All of them. Not really the thing huh?
- hulitu 3y ago
roflyear 3y ago
decent uses this for their software for their espresso machines. Unfortunately, they don't really have any software expertise internally, so the product is largely a buggy mess.
- detaro 3y ago
  Have people made replacement software for those? They always seemed like the kind of thing where that'd happen if it's in any way friendly to it.
  - roflyear 3y ago
    Yes, but it's a lot of work, and you're making replacement software for a commercial product for free.
systems 3y ago
What Tcl needs 1. a package manager 2. language server 3. a vs code plugin or an emacs mode for the language server
- dmux 3y ago
  I know there was a (somewhat?) successful package repository and manager called Teapot and Teacup [0] respectively that was run by ActiveState but I don't believe it's actively having packages added to it. I really wish there was some new development along these lines to allow for github repos to be imported (I think I've seen this in Golang). As far as the language server goes, I'm guessing that would be really difficult to implement for Tcl since each command can essentially implement its own DSL. [0] https://wiki.tcl-lang.org/page/Tcl+Extension+Archive https://wiki.tcl-lang.org/page/Tcl+Extension+Archive
  - wduquette 3y ago
    Teapot/Teacup was lovely while ActiveState was supporting it. I believe someone in the community still maintains a Teapot, but I don't know how current it is. And as for language server—yeah, not gonna happen.

63 points by martinlaz 3y ago

I’ve said it before, but I’d love to see a best-practices CRUD app done in tcl, tk, and SQLite along the lines of the north winds thing from Microsoft. The SQLite interface in tcl is a thing of beauty to rival tk.

pjmlp 3y ago
Besides AOLServer, there were Safelayer and Vignette. However you will only get to see AOLServer's source code, as the latter two were proprietary.
testbjjl 3y ago
Look at AOLServer, yes that AOL. https://aolserver.github.io/ https://aolserver.github.io/
- buescher 3y ago
  Sure, desktop CRUD apps have been obsolete for 25 years, but I meant a desktop application in tk. Also, an example application like Northwinds, not a framework. Not exactly what I’m thinking either, but look at how concise pgaccess (for postgresql) was.
iso8859-1 3y ago
Not too surprising since D. Richard Hipp is both contributing to SQLite and Tcl.
wduquette 3y ago
I used SQLite with Tcl for many years, and yes, it truly is.

blacksqr 3y ago

Tcl is markdown for programming logic.

keyle 3y ago
... if programming logic was riding a dragon, with rockets, on top of a minivan.

harry8 3y ago

Tcl/Tk is cool. Tcl/Tk makes UI's that jar in an ugly, immediately recognisable as "old-fashioned" way. This matters to users whether we like it or not. It would be a very niche commercial software project that used it for its UI no matter how beautifully elegant the functionality of its UI. Best ever UI will still elicit an "Ew, yuk." From the majority of its users. Graphical UIs have been de rigeur for what, 30+ years? We still suck at the tools to program them which are all a pain in the backside to use even when making something very simple and expected. We still suck at programming these UIs when we use them. All of them. I have no answers to this.

badsectoracula 3y ago
AC3D[0] is a 3D mesh editor that uses Tcl/Tk for the UI with the core functionality being in C. The "ttk" subset of controls is themable and AC3D has its own theme[1] which, at least to me, it doesn't look that different from the themes of other 3D software. Though it also allows you to edit and create your own themes and personally i made this[2] which i like better (though i think the people who belong in that "majority of users" group you imagine are more likely to elicit that "Ew, yuk." from my theme :-P). [0] http://www.inivis.com/ http://www.inivis.com/ [1] https://i.imgur.com/BgALLkH.png https://i.imgur.com/BgALLkH.png [2] https://i.imgur.com/uQcOa6J.png https://i.imgur.com/uQcOa6J.png
jhbadger 3y ago
I remember 20 years ago that half of Linux GUI apps were Tcl/Tk. Yes, people made fun of them for not being "native", but I'd much prefer a Tcl/Tk app over a modern Electron one.
- harry8 3y ago
  I hear you. Don't you think it's a shame that in 20 years we haven't got anything that is actually better? Easier to program? Easier to design for usability? Better looking? I would have guessed we would have. Delphi/kylix, VB, gtk+, qt, win-whatever, mac-whatever, wx, electron. All of them. Not really the thing huh?
hulitu 3y ago

roflyear 3y ago

decent uses this for their software for their espresso machines. Unfortunately, they don't really have any software expertise internally, so the product is largely a buggy mess.

detaro 3y ago
Have people made replacement software for those? They always seemed like the kind of thing where that'd happen if it's in any way friendly to it.
- roflyear 3y ago
  Yes, but it's a lot of work, and you're making replacement software for a commercial product for free.

systems 3y ago

What Tcl needs 1. a package manager 2. language server 3. a vs code plugin or an emacs mode for the language server

dmux 3y ago
I know there was a (somewhat?) successful package repository and manager called Teapot and Teacup [0] respectively that was run by ActiveState but I don't believe it's actively having packages added to it. I really wish there was some new development along these lines to allow for github repos to be imported (I think I've seen this in Golang). As far as the language server goes, I'm guessing that would be really difficult to implement for Tcl since each command can essentially implement its own DSL. [0] https://wiki.tcl-lang.org/page/Tcl+Extension+Archive https://wiki.tcl-lang.org/page/Tcl+Extension+Archive
- wduquette 3y ago
  Teapot/Teacup was lovely while ActiveState was supporting it. I believe someone in the community still maintains a Teapot, but I don't know how current it is. And as for language server—yeah, not gonna happen.