A highly useful Tcl extension
[incr Tcl] is a free development and IT software utility that allows you to make using Tcl much easier. Originally written by Michael McLennan, this handy program is a set of object-oriented extensions designed for the Tcl programming language. Intended as a pun on C++, its name is also stylized as “itcl” and “intr Tcl.”
[incr Tcl] is quite popular for providing extra language support in building large Tcl/Tk applications. It includes multiple inheritance, public and private classes, and variables. However, you’ll need to be familiar with Tcl to use it properly, even with numerous online tutorials.
The Tcl tool you need
Pronounced as “tickle” or simply called with its letters, Tcl is a high-level, general-purpose, interpreted, and dynamic programming language that was designed to be simple but powerful. With this software, everything is cast into commands you can input One of its most popular iterations is Tcl/Tk, a combination of Tcl and the Tk extension which allows the creation of a native graphical user interface in Tcl.
When creating larger applications, however, the codes get even trickier to understand in Tcl/Tk despite the programming language’s simple nature. This is where [incr Tcl] is most helpful. This Tcl extension’s most basic function is to add object-oriented programming constructs to Tcl in order to churn out code that’s much easier to maintain and extend when working with bigger projects.
This tool uses “objects” for the base of an application. These are packages of data, each containing a set of procedures used to manipulate it. These objects are then organized into “classes” that have identical characteristics, which will inherit functionality from one another. However, to even use this extension right, you need to know Tcl beforehand. There are numerous tutorials for this tool but it can still overwhelm beginners.
Learn Tcl first
Overall, there’s a good reason why [incr Tcl] is a beloved tool preferred by Tcl users and its community. You’ll have to be quite familiar with Tcl first to get used to its interface, but it’s still worth learning extensively since the tool contributes a lot to saving you time in working with large chunks of code. This is a highly recommended utility program for users of the aforementioned programming language.
