Introduction to Tcl scripting

Tcl, the Tool Command Language, pronounced tickle, is an easy-to-learn scripting language that is compatible with Designer software. You can run scripts from either the Windows or UNIX command line or store and run a series of commands in a “.tcl” batch file.

This section provides a quick overview of the main features of Tcl:

• Basic syntax

• Types of Tcl commands

• Variables

• Command substitution

• Quotes and braces

• Lists and arrays

• Control structures

• Handling exceptions

• Print statement and Return values

• Running Tcl scripts from the command line

• Running Tcl scripts from within Designer

• Exporting Tcl scripts

• Running Multiple Pass Layout from the command line

• Sample Tcl scripts

For complete information on Tcl scripting, refer to one of the books available on this subject. You can also find information about Tcl at web sites such as http://www.tcl.tk.