Looking for a good tcl reference

[Hope Malin]

I am newly certified as a Level 1 Cloverleaf analyst. I do not have any programming background (I come to Integration from the clinical world) but would like to learn tcl. Is there a reference out there that you would recommend for a true beginner? Thanks.

Topic

[Gary Atkinson]

Download ActiveStateTCL; it comes with a nice help file.  Also, TclTutor has a nice tutorial with good examples.  Like you, I also came from the clinical world with no programming background.  TCL will become your next best friend  8)

If you take Level II training, make sure you have the TCL basics down first.  The class will be much easier.

[John Mercogliano]

I’ve never used tcl until I started working with cloverleaf.

Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk by Brent Welch & Ken Jones

has been my bible.

John Mercogliano
Sentara Healthcare
Hampton Roads, VA

[Nate Kruse]

I agree with John on that book.

Although I have a programming background, I found that using other people’s Tcl code as a good way of learning things…could also work well for a person with no programming knowledge.  If other people comment their Tcl code well, then you can see what a “usual” Tcl script contains and what “normal” Tcl script does for an interface.  With that said, it is also an easy way to learn bad techniques and each interface is different.  

I also read a lot on this site.  It contains many neat ideas that I would not have thought of on my own.

You’ll find that Tcl is so useful for so many things other than just interface work.  I’m always using it to manipulate files and do data extractions from files that contain thousands of rows.

[Chris Williams]

The Brent Welch book is an excellent resource, but if you’re trying to learn tcl from the beginning, I’d recommend the Sam’s “Teach Yourself …” series. They are easy to read, and you can learn all the basics over a single weekend. If you’re just going to be writing procs for Cloverleaf, you can skip the Tk part.

[Author]

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