From: Hidetoshi NAGAI <nagai@...>
Date: 2004-02-24T01:01:43+09:00
Subject: Re: Graphical Ruby/Tk GUI designer?

Hi, 

From: Thomas Adam <thomas_adam16@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: Graphical Ruby/Tk GUI designer?
Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 06:51:00 +0900
Message-ID: <20040222215053.4607.qmail@web41109.mail.yahoo.com>
> [n6tadam@laptop n6tadam]$ apt-cache show visual-tcl
> Description: Tcl GUI builder
>  Visual Tcl is a freely-available, high-quality application development
>  environment. Written entirely in Tcl and generating pure Tcl should make
>  porting either unnecessary or trivial. Visual Tcl is covered by the GNU
>  General Public License insuring that it will remain in the capable hands 
>  of the internet community. Visual Tcl has no relation to SCO Visual Tcl
> or  
>  the FREE Visual Tcl/Tk project.
> 
> Package name: visual-tcl

Ruby/Tk can load a Tcl script on its Tk interpreter. 
Therefore, you'll be able to use the output script of the GUI
builder. It is not difficult to control widgets generated by 
the tcl script. 
For example, when there is a Tcl/Tk script 'entry.tcl' as below, 

-----< entry.tcl >------------------------------------
#!/usr/bin/wish

wm geometry . +30+30

frame .buttons
pack .buttons -side top -fill x
button .buttons.quit -text Quit -command exit
button .buttons.print -text Print -command {puts $e_val}
pack .buttons.quit .buttons.reset -side right

entry .buttons.e -textvariable e_val -relief sunken
pack .buttons.e -side left -fill x
------------------------------------------------------

you can load the script to Ruby/Tk and control widgets (generated 
by the script) along the following lines.

------------------------------------------------------
$ /usr/local/bin/irb -r tk
irb(main):001:0> Tk.tk_call('source', 'entry.tcl')
=> ""
irb(main):002:0> root = TkRoot.new
=> #<TkRoot:0x402bf2c8 @path=".">
irb(main):003:0> root.winfo_children
=> [#<TkFrame:0x402bcc94 @db_class=TkFrame, @container=nil, @visual=nil, @colormap=nil, @path=".buttons", @classname="Frame">]
irb(main):004:0> widgets = root.winfo_children[0].winfo_children
=> [#<TkButton:0x402b7a50 @path=".buttons.quit">, #<TkButton:0x402b6f60 @path=".buttons.print">, #<TkEntry:0x40236774 @path=".buttons.e">]
irb(main):005:0> btn_q, btn_p, ent = widgets
=> [#<TkButton:0x402b7a50 @path=".buttons.quit">, #<TkButton:0x402b6f60 @path=".buttons.print">, #<TkEntry:0x40236774 @path=".buttons.e">]
irb(main):006:0> ent['textvariable']
=> "e_val"
irb(main):007:0> v = TkVarAccess.new(ent['textvariable'])
=> #<TkVariable: e_val>
irb(main):008:0> v.value = 'foo bar'
=> "foo bar"
irb(main):009:0> btn_p.invoke
foo bar
=> ""
irb(main):010:0> Tk.mainloop
------------------------------------------------------
-- 
                                  Hidetoshi NAGAI (nagai@ai.kyutech.ac.jp)