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The Tcl/Java project currently consist of two packages, Jacl and
Tcl Blend. Jacl, which stands for Java Command Language, is a Java
implementation of Tcl 8.x. Tcl Blend is a package for Tcl 8.x
that allows you to load and interact with the Java VM.
With the advent of Tcl/Java API, you can write extensions for
Tcl, in Java code, that will be cross platform. In addition, you can
use a new set of Tcl instructions that allow you to create, call and
manipulate Java objects directly from Tcl. These new API's are ideal
for rapid prototyping of Java interfaces. Using this
interface provides an easy way to get access to Java's powerful
libraries without having to leave Tcl. You can also embed the
powerful Tcl scripting language into an existing Java application.
This technology also provides an ideal way to write regression
tests for Java code using Tcl.
Download Jacl and TclBlend
(1.2.6)
Download the white paper on Tcl & Java integration.
Tcl+Java = A match made for scripting
(SunWorld)
Road Map
- Jacl & Tcl Blend version 1.0:
The 1.0 release of Jacl and Tcl Blend were made available from Sun
Laboratories February 18, 1998. This was the final release of the 1.0
version and the conclusion of the work being done by the Sun team.
- Jacl & Tcl Blend version 1.1.1:
The 1.1.1 release of both Jacl and Tcl Blend was made available
for downloading on March 6, 1999. This release is due entirely to
the efforts of Christopher Hylands and Mo DeJong, with minimal
assistance from Scriptics. This release fixed numerous bugs in the 1.0
release and adds some new features that will make combining Tcl and
Java even easier then before.
- Jacl & Tcl Blend 1.2:
Mo DeJong coordinated the 1.2 release of Jacl and Tcl Blend. His work
was initially only available from his own website, but is now
available from Scriptics, who provided assistance in releasing version
1.2.6. This release should be considered stable and production
quality. More information about this release can be found on the New Features page.
- Jacl & Tcl Blend 1.3 and beyond:
Mo DeJong will continue coordinating work on Jacl and Tcl Blend.
A number of key new features have already been added by contributors
on the net. The 1.3 version will initially be available only through CVS.
When the 1.3 version is ready to be used in production work, a
1.4 version will be created to replace the existing 1.2 production
version. This is the same versioning scheme used by other open
projects on the net. The odd-numbered minor releases (1.3) are
development branches and even-numbered minor releases (1.2 and 1.4)
are production branches.
Why Tcl Blend?
- Porting legacy code: Tcl Blend offers an easy way
to create hybrid applications made from both legacy code and Java
code. It's a great way to slowly migrate legacy applications to Java
over a period of time.
- Java integration at the speed of C: As an
extension package for Tcl8.0+, Tcl Blend offers Tcl/Java integration
without compromising the efficiency of core Tcl features.
Why Jacl?
- 100% Java!: Jacl is completely implemented in
Java. Tcl has always been cross platform, but having a version of Tcl
implemented in Java allows Tcl code to run in even more places.
A number of people are using Jacl to add Tcl scripting to applications
written in Java.
-
A white paper that describes the benefits of Tcl
& Java integration was written by Ray Johnson on January 29, 1998.
Ray Johnson was the Project Lead for the 1.0 release at Sun
Laboratories. His paper provides a high-level overview of the motives
and goals for Tcl & Java integration. The paper is available for
downlaod in postscript or pdf formats.
Jacl & Tcl Blend 1.2.6 Known Restrictions
- Applets: Jacl will not currently work well inside of
Browsers. The reason is that all of the browsers we tested against
had very weak support for the JDK 1.1 features that Jacl depends on.
In addition, there has been limited interest in running Jacl in a web
browser so this feature has received little attention.
- Jacl: Unfortunately, Jacl does not yet contain the
entire Tcl feature set. There are only a couple of Tcl commands that
are not yet implemented, sockets being one of them. There are plans
to implement sockets but Java's lack of asynchronous IO
makes things difficult.
- TEA Compliance: Tcl Blend now includes a set of
Makefiles which conform to the Tcl Extension Architecture (TEA).
These makefiles currently only support Tcl Blend, but will soon
support Jacl. You will need to use Tcl 8.2+ with the TEA makefiles.
- Regular Expressions: A regular expression package
licensed from a third party is included in Jacl 1.2. This package provides
almost all of regular expression functionality of Tcl. Some regular
expressions may differ slightly between Jacl and regular Tcl, but
these are the exception and not the rule. The source code to the
regular expression library is not provided with the Jacl release but
the binary .class files needed to run regular expressions in Jacl are
provided.
This closed source regular expression code has already been replaced
in the 1.3 version of Jacl.
The Tcl/Java project team
The Jacl and Tcl Blend releases are brought to you by:
We have to thank Christopher Hylands for all his hard work on
Tcl Blend. We also have to thank to the original Tcl Blend
and Jacl team from Sun Labs. A special thanks also goes to
Bryan Surles for getting the project hosted at this web site.
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