Tcl/Tk for Programmers: With Solved Exercises that Work with Unix and Windows (Practitioners) [Paperback]

J. Adrian Zimmer (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0818685158 | ISBN-13: 978-0818685156 | Publication Date: September 10, 1998 | Edition: 1

This introduction to Tcl/Tk bridges the gaps between introductions, comprehensive manuals, and collections of scripts that solve particular problems. There are over 200 exercises with solutions for both Unix and Windows platforms.

Tcl/Tk for Programmers introduces high-level Tcl/Tk scripting language to experienced programmers with either Unix or Windows backgrounds. It includes a short introduction to TCP/IP, introductions on writing client-side scripts and GUI interfaces as well as integrating scripts with C/C++. In addition to covering version 8.0/8.0, the book describes the major differences between version 8.0/8.0, 7.6/4.2, and the experimental alpha version 8.1/8.1. Zimmer has extensive knowledge of Tcl/Tk programming and currently runs a consulting and training company based on his experience.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

This introduction to Tcl/Tk bridges the gaps between introductions, comprehensive manuals, and collections of scripts that solve particular problems. There are over 200 exercises with solutions that run on both Unix and Windows platforms.

Tcl/Tk for Programmers is an introduction to the high-level Tcl/Tk scripting language for experienced programmers with either Unix or Windows background. The book includes a short introduction to TCP/IP, as well as longer introductions to writing client-side scripts and GUI interfaces, and integrating scripts with C/C++.

Tcl is a scripting language somewhat like Perl but extensible and clearer. Tk is an extension, developed by the creator of Tcl, used for creating scripts that interact with users through windows. After version 8.0/8.0, the unusually fast development of Tcl/Tk has slowed to a more normal pace. Tcl/Tk for Programmers covers this version while describing its major differences with the previous version 7.6/4.2 and the experimental alpha version 8.1/8.1 Zimmer has extensive knowledge of Tcl/Tk programming and currently runs a consulting and training company based on his experience.

Product Details

• Paperback: 560 pages
• Publisher: Wiley-IEEE Computer Society Pr; 1 edition (September 10, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0818685158
• ISBN-13: 978-0818685156
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,528,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're starting with Tcl start here., February 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tcl/Tk for Programmers: With Solved Exercises that Work with Unix and Windows (Practitioners) (Paperback)

I wish I had this book a year ago. Most other Tcl books are the "How to create a Tk app", type of thing, that gloss over the details that have you pulling your hair out later. This book goes through the details of how things work, in detail, with excellent "mini-quizes" that illustrate all the important concepts. If you program in another language and need to do work in Tcl, do yourself a favor, get this book and spend a weekend going through it first.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars only for intermediate/advanced programmers, November 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Tcl/Tk for Programmers: With Solved Exercises that Work with Unix and Windows (Practitioners) (Paperback)

This book definitely has its pros and cons. The main likable aspect is that Zimmer gets right into the language; no long history or touchy-feely introduction. If you've done some programming and are comfortable with typical flow-of-control structures, expression syntax, and have done some shell programming on Unix platforms, you will quickly get a handle on Tcl with this book.

However, Zimmer uses some unusual verbiage (eg., "action families"), and expects the reader to understand quite a bit already. Given that the content organization is a little strange, and that the index is brief, it is difficult to quickly dive in and create useful scripts.

Lastly, on any given topic, the book covers the basic concepts then immediately proffers exercises (for which solutions are given at the back of the chapter). If you work thru this book from start to finish and do the exercises, you will value this book. Personally, I despise exercise-based books; I prefer authors who bring the material to me via explanations and well-documented examples. If I wanted to learn strictly by doing, I'd download the spec and figure it out for myself.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best programming book I've ever read, January 14, 2005

By 

J. Greene "Jim" (Brighton, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tcl/Tk for Programmers: With Solved Exercises that Work with Unix and Windows (Practitioners) (Paperback)

Mind you, as the title suggests, this shouldn't be your very first experience programming. It's not a "learn Tcl in 7 days" book. You want to have some other languages under your belt first. It's aimed at someone who will digest a lot of information fairly quickly. The writing is fun and humorous. The very first chapters are essential, as Zimmer does everything he can to explain the nuts and bolts behind braces, quotes and variable substitutions. He uses these core pieces of Tcl in ways you will likely never encounter in actual Tcl/Tk programs, but serves the purpose of breaking them, soliciting head-scratchingly unintuitive results, etc. so that when you start coding yourself, you wil know to be careful with your syntax-- know what the pitfalls are and avoid them. If you are patient enough to go through all of the exercises, you will have a very strong and solid understanding of this fantastically elegant and programmer-friendly language. The only part I don't like is that the index at the back of the book is too brief. The book partly makes up for this by having 2 more indices used to locate specific functions and procedures. I recommend you also invest in the O'Reilly Nutshell or Pocket Guide books, because this book is more tutorial than reference in nature.