Re: [MACTCL] RE: Tcl Objective-C (Kevin Walzer)

[Philip A. <ph...@vc...>]

On Wednesday, Apr 13, 2005, at 10:23 America/Vancouver, G=FCnther =20
Enthaler wrote:

> It seems to me that if you really want to leverage the AppleScript =20
> Studio work, the better way to go would be to implement Tcl.component; =
=20
> then you could use Tcl via AppleScript Studio, and for system =20
> scripting via the Script Editor.

> I notice, Philip, that you've done this already!

Hi G=FCnther,

Yes, TclOSA works in an AppleScript Studio Cocoa application and all =20
the other OSABridge components work in Script Editor just fine. The =20
Carbon UI features work in scripts run in Script Editor as well, =20
although Cocoa apps will grab keyboard commands with the same bindings =20=

away from the text pane. TclOSA can work directly with any items in =20
Carbon nibs that are supported in compositing windows and you can also =20=

script those items plus the custom HIViews directly in Tcl.

A few changes would be needed for it to be more like a regular Tcl =20
implementation. Currently it is idiosyncratic to the Carbon AppleScript =20=

applet scenario. I have been working towards a standard implementation =20=

where Tcl_Main is used instead of a customized main interp and =20
environment and the specialized commands are added directly instead of =20=

being in packages. It links to /usr/lib/libtcl.dylib (=3Dlibtcl8.3.dylib) =
=20
on OS 10.2 and Tcl.framework in /System/Frameworks on 10.3. It is =20
getting to be too much to maintain separate Project Builder and XCode =20=

builds for the different environments. Just last weekend I compiled the =20=

8.4.9 sources to work with. After I get that working in the component, =20=

I'd probably have to get some advice from this list as to how deal with =20=

a "keep alive" event handler and maybe how to warp stdout to a =20
specified text pane.

If anyone wants to check it out as it stands right now, I can fix up a =20=

package and make it available for download. It's a simple example with =20=

a split view where a script is typed into the top pane, Command-R (from =20=

a "Run Script" menu item) is pressed, and the result appears in the =20
bottom pane. There is a button with a script built into it which also =20=

pumps into the lower text pane: implying that it's possible to use Tcl =20=

in conjunction with anything in Interface Builder that AppleScript =20
Studio supports. I have not tried it with the Cocoa-Document style of =20=

application yet.


> It's curious that your post is written in a speculative fashion, when =20=

> it seems that you've done it already; any particular reason for that?

Well, I was talking about getting Tcl to be directly connected to the =20=

widgets instead of going though AppleScript Studio NSAppleScript =20
scripting.


Cheers,

Philip


> The following info I compiled before finding your page at
> http://homepage.mac.com/philip_aker/osa/osa.html
>
>
>
> There were a number of Tcl scripting components on classic once upon a =
=20
> time;
> a guy called Tim Endres wrote one (at
> http://www.gjt.org/download/time/mac/Tickle5.0v1.sea.hqx, along with a =
=20
> J OSA
> component). He even (I believe) distributed the source for it. There =20=

> are
> others by John Louch at http://www.louch.com/ and by Vince Darley at
> http://www.santafe.edu/~vince/Downloads.html
>
>
> More recently, there's a JavaScript OSA component at
> http://www.latenightsw.com/freeware/JavaScriptOSA/index.html,  an
> experimental Python.component written by Bill Fancher at
> http://home.pacbell.net/fancher/OSA_Python/=20
> OSA_Python_Notes_1_0a5.html, and
> there's even a bare bones open source Unix Shell component at
> http://ranchero.com/software/osashell/.
>
> http://www.applescriptsourcebook.com/links/languages.html has more on =20=

> this,
> too.
>
> Regards,
> G=FCnther Enthaler