Book excerpts:

Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk is meant as a practical guide to help the readers get the most out of Tcl and Tk and avoid some of the frustrations. It assumes that the readers have some programming experience, although they should be able to get by even if they are a complete novice. Knowledge of UNIX shell programming will help, but it is not required.

This book is meant to be useful to the beginner in Tcl as well as the expert. For the beginner and expert alike, a careful study of Chapter 1, Tcl Fundamentals, is recommended. The programming model of Tcl is designed to be simple, but it is different from many programming languages. The model is based on string sub- stitutions, and it is important that you understand it properly to avoid trouble in complex cases. The remainder of the book consists of examples that demonstrate how to use Tcl and Tk productively. For your reference, each chapter has tables that summarize the Tcl commands and Tk widgets they describe.

You are assumed to have some programming experience, although you should be able to get by even if you are a complete novice. Knowledge of UNIX shell programming will help, but it is not required. Where aspects of win-dow systems are relevant, some background information is provided. Chapter 2 describes the details of using Tcl and Tk on UNIX, Windows, and Macintosh.