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diff --git a/itcl/itcl/README b/itcl/itcl/README new file mode 100644 index 00000000000..fee26d2851e --- /dev/null +++ b/itcl/itcl/README @@ -0,0 +1,311 @@ +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + [incr Tcl] - version 3.3 for Tcl/Tk 8.0.3 and beyond +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + This is a bug-fix release in the itcl3.x series. + + As much as possible, I've tried to make itcl3.x backward-compatible + with earlier releases. The class definition syntax has not changed + at all from itcl2.2, and the old itcl1.x syntax is still supported. + But you'll notice changes related to the new namespace mechanism in + Tcl 8.0. For information on incompatibilities and porting to itcl3.x, + read the INCOMPATIBLE file in this directory, or check out the itcl + web site: + + http://incrtcl.sourceforge.net/ + http://www.tcltk.com/itcl/ + + Many people through the years have helped me with [incr Tcl] + development, and I thank them for their contributions. Please + read the acknowledgements section below. + + Send comments or suggestions to the [incr Tcl] mailing list + (itcl@scriptics.com) or directly to me (mmc@cadence.com). + If you want to subscribe to the mailing list, send a message + with the subject "subscribe" to "itcl-request@tcltk.com". + +======================================================================== + Copyright (c) 1993-1998 Lucent Technologies, Inc. + Copyright (c) 1998-2000 Cadence Design Systems, Inc. +======================================================================== + + OVERVIEW +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + - What is [incr Tcl]? + - Getting started + - Installation + - Integrating [incr Tcl] with other extensions + - Acknowledgements +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + + + What is [incr Tcl]? +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + [incr Tcl] is an object-oriented extension of the Tcl language. It + was created to support more structured programming in Tcl. Tcl scripts + that grow beyond a few thousand lines become extremely difficult to + maintain. This is because the building blocks of vanilla Tcl are + procedures and global variables, and all of these building blocks + must reside in a single global namespace. There is no support for + protection or encapsulation. + + [incr Tcl] introduces the notion of objects. Each object is a bag + of data with a set of procedures or "methods" that are used to + manipulate it. Objects are organized into "classes" with identical + characteristics, and classes can inherit functionality from one + another. This object-oriented paradigm adds another level of + organization on top of the basic variable/procedure elements, and + the resulting code is easier to understand and maintain. + + Among other things, [incr Tcl] can be used to create new widgets that + look and work like the usual Tk widgets, but are written entirely at + the Tcl language level (C code is optional). These "mega-widgets" + can be created using [incr Tk], a set of base classes which provide + the core mega-widget functionality. [incr Widgets] is a set of + high-level mega-widgets built using [incr Tk]. It has more than + 50 widget classes, and can be used right out of the box to create: + + - fileselectiondialog + - tabnotebook + - panedwindow + - scrolledhtml + - combobox + - optionmenu + - scrolledlistbox + - scrolledframe + - messagedialog + - and many others... + + Classes and/or related procedures can also be encapsulated in their + own "namespace". A namespace is a collection of commands, variables, + classes and other namespaces that is set apart from the usual global + scope. Elements within a namespace can be "private" or "protected", + so that access to them is restricted. An "import" command allows all + of the elements from one namespace to be integrated into another. + + Extension writers will immediately see the benefit of namespaces. + With vanilla Tcl, each extension must add its commands and variables + at the global scope. Extension writers are encouraged to add a unique + prefix to all of the names in their package, to avoid naming collisions. + Extensions can now sit in their own namespace of commands and variables, + and sensitive elements can be protected from accidental access. For + example, the current release of [incr Tcl] has a namespace "itcl" + for object-oriented support, a namespace "itk" for mega-widget + support, and a namespace "iwidgets" for the [incr Widgets] package. + Each of these namespaces has its own collection of commands and + variables. Developers can then pick and choose among the extensions, + and integrate the parts that they need for their application by + importing various namespaces at the global scope. + + + Getting started +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + If you're just getting started with [incr Tcl], check out these + useful resources: + + - FREE TUTORIAL on our web site: http://www.tcltk.com/itcl/ + + - BOOK: "[incr Tcl/Tk] from the Ground Up," by Chad Smith + (ISBN 0-07-212106-8) + + - BOOK: "Tcl/Tk Tools," edited by Mark Harrison + (ISBN 1-56592-218-2) + + Also, run the "catalog" demo to get an overview of the [incr Widgets] + package. On Windows and Macintosh systems, this is installed as one + of the executables. On Unix systems, this is installed in the + "lib/itcl/iwidgets3.0.0/demos" library directory. + + The file "iwidgets3.0.0/doc/iwidgets.ps" contains a tutorial + introduction to the [incr Widgets] package. The mega-widget classes + in [incr Widgets] show off most of the functionality in this release. + You can use them as a pattern to create your own widget classes. + + If you're a seasoned itcl professional, check the CHANGES file for a + summary of recent enhancements. Consult the man pages for detailed + information on particular commands. + + Check out our web site for the latest news: + + http://incrtcl.sourceforge.net/ + + Installation on Unix Systems +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + 1) Obtain this distribution from an archive site like this: + + http://incrtcl.sourceforge.net/ + http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=13244 + + 2) Uncompress and untar the distribution: + + gunzip itcl<version>.tar.gz + tar xvf itcl<version>.tar + + 3) Run the configuration script: + + cd itcl<version> + ./configure + + or, for systems that don't recognize "#!" in shell scripts: + + cd itcl<version> + /bin/sh ./configure + + The "configure" script finds the appropriate compiler flags and + generates new Makefiles from template files (Makefile.in). + + By default, the configuration script will set things up so + that everything is installed in "/usr/local". You can change + this by specifying a different "prefix" in the "configure" command: + + ./configure --prefix=/your/install/path + + If your Tcl installation is sitting somewhere other than right + next to this package, you may have to tell configure where to + find it: + + ./configure --with-tcl=/usr/local/tcl/lib + + If you want to debug, you can add this option as well: + + ./configure --enable-symbols + + 4) Build the libraries and the executables. From the toplevel + directory type: + + make all + + 5) Install the libraries, executables, man pages and script files. + From the toplevel directory type: + + make install + + 6) Use the final product: + + $ tclsh + % package require Itcl + % itcl::class Foo { method testing {} { return "testing!" } } + + If you don't like the itcl:: prefix, you can import the itcl + commands into the global namespace: + + % namespace import -force itcl::* + % class Foo { ... } + + Note that you'll find the same behavior with [incr Widgets]: + + $ wish + % package require Iwidgets + % iwidgets::optionmenu .om + % namespace import -force iwidgets::* + % optionmenu .om + + + Installation on Windows +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + Follow the usual TEA instructions for building under Windows. + Requires Cygwin and Visual C++ 6.0. + + + Installation on Macintosh Systems +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + Many thanks to Jim Ingham for putting up Macintosh binaries for + various releases. Check out http://www.tcltk.com/itcl for downloads. + + + Integrating [incr Tcl] with other extensions +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + [incr Tcl] is now a pure extension to Tcl/Tk. Therefore, if you + build the Tcl/Tk core and this package with the "--enable-shared" + option, you can load [incr Tcl] into a vanilla tclsh, as follows: + + package require Itcl + + Similarly, you can load [incr Tcl] along with the [incr Tk] mega-widget + facility into a vanilla wish, as follows: + + package require Itk + + You can load [incr Tcl], [incr Tk], and the [incr Widgets] package + like this: + + package require Iwidgets + + If you require the earlier release of [incr Widgets] for some reason, + you can specify the version number: + + package require Iwidgets 2.2 + + Other packages should plug-and-play in the same fashion. + + >> NOTE: If you have any trouble with dynamic loading on UNIX + >> systems, you may need to set your LD_LIBRARY_PATH environment + >> variable to include the "lib" directory for your Tcl/Tk + >> installation. For example: + >> + >> LD_LIBRARY_PATH="/usr/local/tcl/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH" + >> export LD_LIBRARY_PATH + + + Acknowledgements +------------------------------------------------------------------------ + Thanks to Chad Smith for writing an excellent, comprehensive + book "[incr Tcl/Tk] from the Ground Up," for many helpful bug + reports, and for nudging me along to fix things. + + Thanks to Matt Newman for providing the Tcl-only "tcl++" package + that helped so many people move forward while waiting for the + itcl3.0 release. + + Thanks to John Ousterhout and the Scriptics team for bundling this + package with their TclPro product. It's gratifying to see [incr Tcl] + accepted as a mainstream product. + + Thanks to Mark Ulferts, Sue Yockey, John Sigler, Bill Scott, Alfredo + Jahn, Bret Schuhmacher, Tako Schotanus and Kris Raney for building + the [incr Widgets] package. With a sketchy overview and a crappy + prototype of [incr Tk], they managed to build a nice set of mega-widgets. + Their initial designs helped me smooth out the rough spots in [incr Tk]. + Thanks especially to Mark Ulferts for keeping things up over the past + few years, and for streamlining the package for itcl3.0. + + Thanks to Jan Nijtmans, Karel Zuiderveld, and Vince Darley for helping + to keep up with Tcl/Tk releases, and for supporting the "plus" and + "dash" patches under [incr Tcl]. + + Thanks to Forest Rouse and ICEM CFD Engineering for integrating + [incr Tcl] into their Tcl/Tk compiler. This is a large undertaking, + and they have done an excellent job. + + Thanks to Alfredo Jahn and Bret Schuhmacher at WebNet for helping + to create the [incr Tcl] web site, and for maintaining the + [incr Tcl] mailing list for many years. + + Thanks to extension writers like Mark Diekhans (tclX) and Ioi Lam (Tix) + for making their packages compatible with [incr Tcl]. + + Thanks to George Howlett for teaching me how namespaces should really + work. He has been a constant source of inspiration, and has kept + a careful watch against many bad ideas. Jim Ingham fleshed out the + notion of explicit scoping, added many nice features to [incr Tk], + and has helped tremendously with porting. Lee Bernhard worked on + distributed systems with Iclient/Iserver, and also helped with porting. + Bill Scott, with a steady stream of bug reports, helped me understand + the questions that a typical user might have. He forced me to reinvent + the paradigm on more than one occasion. + + Thanks to all of the alpha-testers that helped me polish this release. + + Thanks to Mark Harrison for his enthusiasm and support. Due in + large part to his evangelism, I have been able to make [incr Tcl] + development a mainstream activity. + + And many thanks to my wife Maria and my children Maxwell and Katie + for putting up with all of this. + +--Michael +. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ---_----------- + . . . . . . . . . | c a d e n c e | + Michael McLennan . --------------- + mmc@cadence.com . Cadence Design Systems, Inc. + phone: 610-398-6348 . 7535 Windsor Dr. Suite A-200 + fax: 610-530-7985 . Allentown, PA 18195 |