Chapter 16. Using PostgreSQL with Tcl and Tcl/Tk

Tcl is an interpreted scripting language. Tcl is an acronym for Tool Command Language and is often pronounced as “tickle.” The original goal of Tcl's creator (John Ousterhout) was to create an embeddable interpreted language that could be included in many small applications. His idea was to create a language that could be embedded in applications that might not normally justify having their own language. Another example of this sort of embeddable language is Microsoft's VBA (Visual Basic for Applications). With an embedded language, you can make any application programmable (or scriptable). For example, you might have a spiffy terminal emulator that you've developed for your own use. It would be nice if you could add a scripting capability to the emulator, but that would require a ton of work. This is a perfect fit for Tcl. By embedding Tcl in your terminal emulator, you are incorporating an entire programming language in your application with very little work.

Tcl is also a general purpose programming language. In fact, I think Tcl might just be the simplest language ever invented. (But beware, a simple language doesn't always imply simple programs; it just means the language won't get in your way.)