Embedding a Tcl web server into APL

  • Authors:
  • Tilman P. Otto

  • Affiliations:
  • Paul-Martin-Ufer 13, 68163 Mannheim, Germany

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 2001 conference on APL: an arrays odyssey
  • Year:
  • 2000

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Abstract

Tcl stands for Tool Command Language. It is a script language, but unlike the well-known perl, it is also an extensible interpreter that is designed to be easily embedded into other applications. The Tcl source code is available from the Internet and the package can be used freely even in commercial applications. In addition to its condensed notation and simple syntax, APL's strength is its powerful array handling capacity. Tcl is based on string handling and very strong on gluing different pieces of software together. It is especially the many available Tcl extensions for GUI, network, database, HTML and XML support, which make the combination of APL and Tcl very attractive.With the implementation of a few new APL system commands into the APL2C system, it is possible to create one or several Tcl interpreters from within APL. As each of the Tcl interpreters runs on its own thread, a synchronization mechanism is provided for the communication between APL and Tcl. As an example, a Tcl web server with an APL backbone has been realized to demonstrate the power of the combination between APL and Tcl.