Tcl 7.6 and Tk 4.2 are available by public FTP from
ftp.sunlabs.com in the directory /pub/tcl. The releases should appear on
the usual mirror sites within a few days. The following files are
available:
- tcl7.6.tar.gz and tk4.2.tar.gz contain the unified source
releases for all platforms (there are also .Z and .zip versions
of these files).
- Easy-to-install binary releases for some Unix platforms (e.g.,
Solaris and SunOS) will be available soon for purchase at the Sun
Labs Tcl/Tk Shop:
http://www.infohaus.com/access/by-seller/Sun_Labs_TclTk_Shop
- win76.exe contains a binary release for the PC. This file contains
compiled versions of Tcl, Tk, tclsh, and wish, along with libraries,
demos, and manual pages (but no sources). The file is a self-extracting
executable (run it and it installs everything).
- PC sources are also available in the "win" subdirectory of the
unified source releases. See the README file in that directory for
details.
- mactk4.2.sea.hqx contains a binary release for the Mac. The file
is in binhex format, which is understood by Fetch, StuffIt, and other
Mac utilities. The unpacked file is a self-installing archive:
double-click on it and it will create a folder containing everything
you need to run Tcl and Tk.
- Macintosh sources are also available in the "mac" subdirectory of
the unified source releases. See the README file in that directory
for details.
There is a set of Web pages on Tcl and Tk maintained by the Tcl/Tk group
at Sun Laboratories. They can be accessed via the following URL:
http://www.sunlabs.com/research/tcl
Here are the most significant changes in Tcl 7.6. In addition to these
1. New file manipulation commands. There are new options to the
2. The implementation of "exec" has been improved greatly for Windows
3. The package loader has been modified to look for packages not only
4. There is a new memory allocator for the Macintosh version, which
Tcl 7.6 contains two incompatible changes:
1. The C interfaces to channel drivers have been revised to eliminate
2. Under Windows, tclsh now looks for the start-up file "tclshrc.tcl"
Here are the new features in Tk 4.2. The release also includes several
1. The grid geometry manager has been completely rewritten:
2. There are new commands for creating common dialog boxes:
3. There is a new virtual event mechanism for handling events in a
The only incompatible changes in this release are the last two for the
Gridder revision: Stephen Uhler
Message-Id: <199610171837.LAA06684@mitchell.org>
Changes in Tcl 7.6
changes, there are numerous small bug fixes. See the "changes" file for a complete list of all changes.
"file" command for copying files ("file copy"), deleting files and
directories ("file delete"), creating directories ("file mkdir"),
and renaming files ("file rename").
(especially Windows 95 and Windows NT but also for Windows 3.1).
in the auto_path directories but also in their immediate descendants.
This makes it much easier to install and uninstall packages. There
is now a new variable, tcl_pkgPath, which contains directories in
which packages are normally installed, and these directories are
automatically included in auto_path.
should be more efficient than the old one.
the use of Tcl_File handles in the interfaces. Instead, there are
new interface procedures channelReadyProc, watchChannelProc, and
getFileProc. This change does not affect Tcl scripts; it will only
affect you if you have written a custom channel driver.
instead of "tclsh.rc". This is more consistent with wish and uses
the right extension.
Changes in Tk 4.2:
bug fixes. See the "changes" file in the source distributions for a
complete list of all changes.
- The layout algorithm produces much better layouts than before,
particularly where rows or columns were stretchable.
- There is a new -pad option for rows and columns.
- The command "grid forget" has been renamed "grid remove",
and "grid forget" now has semantics like "pack forget".
- The "grid" command no longer accepts floating-point values
for row or column weights: integers must be used.
tk_chooseColor, tk_getOpenFile, tk_getSaveFile and tk_messageBox.
These use native dialog boxes if they are available. Examples of
the dialogs are available in the widget demo.
more portable way. See the new command "event". It also allows
events (both physical and virtual) to be generated dynamically.
The Macintosh now generates <<Cut>>, <<Copy>>, <<Paste>>, and <<Clear>>
events from the edit menu.
gridder ("grid forget" and integer row/column weights). Virtually all
scripts that ran under Tk 4.1 should also work under Tk 4.2 with no
changes.
Credits:
Virtual events, exec cleanup: Colin Stevens
Standard dialogs: Ioi Lam
File access commands: Jon Herlocker, Colin Stevens