[incr-tcl/tk] from the Ground Up [Paperback]

Chad Smith (Author)

Book Description

Series: Complete Reference Series | Publication Date: January 15, 2000

The Purpose Is to Teach. (incr Tcl/Tk) from the Ground Up will serve as a programmer's guide to the (incr Tcl/Tk) language. Whether the reader is a seasoned (incr Tcl/Tk) programmer, a Tcl programmer wanting to learn this extension, or a newcomer, the approach of this book will address each individual's needs. Through ample useful examples, the reader will be taught not only how to accomplish a task but also why the task would be needed in the real world. Each chapter will build on the previous one like building blocks.

Support of the Community. The author, Chad Smith, and this book will be supported by the Tcl community:
-- Cover quote and foreword by Michael McLennan, inventor of (incr Tcl)
-- Cover quote by John Ousterhout, inventor of Tcl
-- Book information will be posted on the Scriptics web site, scriptics.com -- the most popular Tel spot on the net.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Step-by-step techniques for building cross-platform applications with [incr Tcl/Tk]. Create and deploy object-oriented applications with [incr Tcl/Tk]--the Tcl extension that makes it easier to develop, debug, and maintain large applications. [incr Tck/Tk] from the Ground Up explains the features of this flexible extension and outlines the basics for building [incr Tck/Tk] programs. You'll get full details on everything from building extensible GUI applications and embedding [incr Tcl/Tk] to developing enterprise-scale integration applications. Packed with real-world examples, this fast-paced tutorial will advance you from [incr Tcl/Tk] beginner to expert in no time. Learn how to: make the most of [incr Tcl/Tk]'s object-oriented and embeddable capabilities; handle socket programming; create inheritance hierarchies; build powerful, portable GUI applications; integrate new applications with legacy code in C/C++; generate mega-widgets with [incr Tk]; develop full-scale enterprise-wide applications; create client/server applications and add network interfaces to legacy applications; take full advantage of the extensive set of [incr Widgets].

About the Author

Chad Smith (McKinney, TX) has been programming in [incr Tcl/Tk] since 1995 and is the lead GUI designer/developer on his current project at ADC Telecommunications. Chad received his BS in Computer Science from the University of Texas at Dallas in 1996 and is currently working towards an MSEE in Telecommunications at Southers Methodist University. Chad was high school/junior high school teacher for 4 years and is an excellent teacher and communicator.

Product Details

• Paperback: 746 pages
• Publisher: Mcgraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1st edition (January 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072121068
• ISBN-13: 978-0072121063
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 2.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,217,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Wonderful Example of Computer Writing, January 17, 2000

By 

Eric Rhys Mirsky (Ben Wheeler, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: [incr-tcl/tk] from the Ground Up (Paperback)

It is indeed a pleasure to find a technical manual that is so remarkably well written. Mr. Smith manages to break down [incr Tcl/Tk] into simple, logical components while maintaining an absolutely thorough grasp of the content. I do not know if this author has written other books, but I would enjoy reading his work on a variety of other technical issues.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Royal Road to OOP, April 16, 2000

By 

John A Ouzts (Charleston SC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: [incr-tcl/tk] from the Ground Up (Paperback)

This book is superb technical writing about a rather abtruse subject. The author anticipates the readers' questions and even the likely error messages when using the online code examples. Beautifully organized, written and edited... it's hard to imagine a better introduction to object oriented programming. Chad Smith should quit his day job writing code and write more books for us like this, perhaps a sequel with 4 or 5 extended [incr Tcl] project examples.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be sure you want a book on the INCR extension of Tck/Tk !, June 28, 2001

By 

Ken Clark (Zephyr Cove, NV USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: [incr-tcl/tk] from the Ground Up (Paperback)

Be sure you know Tcl/Tk and want a book on the INCR extension of the language!

When this book arrived, I found the subtitle "From the Ground Up" was misleading to a Tck/Tk-know-nothing like me. The first two examples in the book were impenetrable on a line-by-line basis, but only because I have no Tcl/Tk background to understand the keywords and parameters. What the examples were about was clear from the good choice of variable/procedure names in the code, but since I don't know and can't find out what "wm", "pack", "deiconify" do exactly, and what parameters they take, that was the end of the book for me.

Had I known (more than?) a few Tcl basics, I may have kept this book. If you already know Tcl/Tk, this book is probably great for going on to the "[incr]" version of the language. I just don't know if the extensions are important yet. My planned use for Tcl is probably on the fringe.

The book itself is a nicely massive 4 lbs (according to my bathroom scale - so give me slack of +/-1 lb at least!) There is no CD-ROM with the book...

This is NOT a book larded with mostly-useless screen shots to bring up the page count. All 746 pages look like they are full of good info, with probably only one diagram for every 25 pages. The text has about a 50:50 mix of code:explanation, there is a huge reference section (appropriate for this kind of book) and a 20-page index. The book measures 7&3/8" wide, 9&1/8" tall, and a nice 2 inches thick.

Browsing the table of contents, the first 13 chapters cover the sort of practical subject matter I'd want to know about AFTER being familiar with Tcl/Tk; the mind-set, orientation, and approaches to using the language to get something done, but certainly NOT from a simple Tcl/Tk syntax and reserved words standpoint. (That's what I wanted, though). The 14th chapter is nearly 1/2 the book and is a programmer's reference for the Iwidgets. Each 5 page (on average) Iwidget treatment looks like JUST the sort of complete and detailed info I'd want. The Iwidgets look like all the sorts of things I'd want if I were developing windowed user applications.

I may buy this book after acquainting myself with Tcl/Tk: browsing the book has interested me in using the [incr] extensions - but only if what vanilla Tcl offers is too rudimentary.

I do NOT agree with the statement on both front and back covers: "Open This Book as a Novice and Finish It as a Pro". I have programmed in most languages for over 30 years, and this book wastes NO TIME going over what a novice needs to know. I'm trading down to an introductory book. But I may come back!

I very much agree with the book's cover when it says: "The Accelerated Track for Professional Programmers", I concur with that view. But "From the Ground Up" and "Open This Book as a Novice..." are simply inappropriate on the cover of this book. The word "lies" comes to mind.

I'm almost tempted to read some web tutorials on Tcl and keep this book, but I can flip pages to review and reference material much faster with hard copy, and probably won't need [incr] extensions for my project.