[JH]: This page documents items intended for 8.5. It's not meant to be a wishlist (please create another page for that, like [Tcl Wishlists]), but a practical roadmap for 8.5. Please restrict commentary on this page to reduce clutter. [JH] reserves the right to clean this page up to keep it easy to review. Do not add items to the list without approval, as this is meant to be a semi-official list. These lists are known to be incomplete, but I'd like to control what goes in so it all makes sense and, more importantly, is practically possible. ---- '''TIMING''' * 8.5a3 June 2005 * 8.5a4 April 2006 * 8.5.b1 ??? * 8.5.0 following, based on testing, testing, testing of 8.5 betas Remember that alphas are the feature creep releases. Beta is essentially release candidate, when we hope more people will pound on it. ---- [Changes In Tcl/Tk 8.5] will document the [TIP]s that have been approved and integrated into the [Tcl]/[Tk] [core]. ---- '''OPEN UN-TIPPED ITEMS''' 8.5 is focused more on Tk, although Tcl changes will be notable as well. Tk will be most notable, because the whole look will be revamped. These items focus more on those not listed as tips [http://tip.tcl.tk/] already. * ''font fallback ...'', font fallbacks are currently hardcoded, which causes problems in some applications (perhaps also font alias control) * ''font create ... -command''. Named fonts need a callback command for when they are changed (like the WorldChangedProc for C widgets) for those who use them in megawidgets. * ''pid '', revive TIP #88 [http://tip.tcl.tk/88.html] * ''option clear -noreload'', a way to prevent the [xrdb] from getting in the way of a Tk app * ''More core Tk modules''. There are several worth consideration as standard Tk modules, with tkdnd (drag and drop) being a key one, as well as tooltips. * ''[tktable]'' - time to go into the core, with some option fix-ups * ''megawidgets'' - come on, you know you want it * ''tree'' - a tree widget ([treectrl]?, something else?) * ''Improved accessibility support''. Tk currently doesn't handle screen readers, tablet input, or some other newer accessibility things. It does handle stuff like the magnifier and carets correctly, but that's only a partial solution to full accessibility support. * ''Bidi support'' (see [bidi rendering]). Any volunteers? * ''Thread-enabled by default''. Sure, it's a bit slower, but it may just be time to do it. This would include adding the '''Thread''' extension into the Tcl core. '''[[*]]''' * ''Fix Tk bindings''. Many of the Tk bindings are out of date with current standards. This includes things like many widgets not taking focus on <1>, which they should, and some key bindings. '''[[*]]''' * Updates to make full use of [[source -encoding]]. '''[[*]]''' * Revisions to support access to Unicode command lines. See [http://sf.net/support/tracker.php?aid=491789]. * Bundled TEA-compliant packages * Support for alpha/beta package version numbers. '''[[*]]''' * Internal filesystem. [DKF] (26-Apr-2006): It's not clear to me that the items marked with '''[[*]]''' need TIPs at all. Thread support in Tk is progressing on Unix and Win (but not on OSX as far as I can tell) and Tcl shouldn't default to supporting threads until Tk does so too. But I regard it as a bug that it ''doesn't'' work, and the fix schedule for it can stretch into the beta period. ---- '''ITEMS REQUIRING WORK''' * ''Documentation and demos''. We need people willing to improve the Tcl/Tk docs and add more (and fancier) demos. ''([DKF] notes that anyone wanting to work on this should concentrate on the content and let me handle how to encode it in nroff (or [tmml]/[doctools] if we switch to that). For demos, and especially the widget demo, we are particularly looking for demos that cover animation and, when they are added, any new widgets; other demos are welcome too though, especially of the "more complete worked app" variety.)'' * ''Language bindings''. I have rewritten the one for Perl ([Tcl::Tk]). It has some [Perl/Tk] compatability, but could use some more (probably as a separate module). The other languages (Python, Ruby, ...) could all use better bindings. For example, in redoing the Perl one, I made one that was faster and leaner than the original, as well as much more flexible (allowing any Tcl/Tk extension to be used, across more platforms). * See other tips [http://tip.tcl.tk/] for open items that need an implementation or just a push. [DKF]: Open TIPs: * 86 '''Improved Debugger Support'''' * 89 '''Try/Catch Exception Handling in the Core''' * 97 '''Moving Vertices of Canvas Items''' * 106 '''Add Encoding Abilities to the [[dde]] Command''' * 119 '''Angled Text on a Canvas''' * 122 '''Use tcl_{non,}wordchars Throughout Tcl/Tk''' * 125 '''Adding [[wm toplevel]] Subcommand''' * 128 '''Ability to Install a Custom Memory Allocator''' * 133 '''Extending [[expr]] Operators''' * 141 '''Multiple Initial-Files in [[tk_getOpenFile]]''' ''(just needs implementation)'' * 145 '''Enhanced Tk Font Handling''' ''(just needs implementation)'' * 154 '''Add Named Colors to Tk''' * 160 '''Improvements to Terminal and Serial Channel Handling''' * 162 '''IPv6 Sockets for Tcl''' * 164 '''Add Rotate Subcommand to the Canvas Widget''' * 166 '''Reading and Writing the Photo Image Alpha Channel''' * 167 '''Add a New Option for Context Help for Windows''' * 170 '''Better Support for Nested Lists''' * 171 '''Change Default Bindings Behavior''' * 174 '''Math Operators as Commands''' * 178 '''[[info pid]] and [[info tid]] Subcommands''' * 180 '''Add a Megawidget Support Core Package''' * 185 '''Null Handling''' * 186 '''Expose the Type and Modified-State of Widget Options''' * 187 '''Procedures as Values''' * 193 '''Simple Syntax Help System''' * 195 '''Script Access to Tcl_GetIndexFromObj''' * 197 '''Text Widget Persistant Cursor''' * 198 '''Image Command XPM Extension''' * 199 '''Specification of Alternatives to .wishrc/.tclshrc''' * 210 '''Add 'tempname' Subcommand to [[file]]''' * 211 '''Add Full Stack Trace Capability''' * 213 '''A Standard Dialog for Font Selection''' * 214 '''Add New Object Introspection Command''' * 216 '''Handling Command-Line Options in Tclsh and Wish''' * 220 '''Escalate Privileges in VFS Close Callback''' * 224 '''Add New [[array]] Subcommands 'incr' and 'value' ''' * 225 '''Arithmetic Series with Optimized Space Complexity''' * 228 '''Tcl Filesystem Reflection API''' * 230 '''Tcl Channel Transformation Reflection API''' * 234 '''Add Support For Zlib Compression''' * 236 '''Absolute Positioning of Canvas Items''' * 238 '''Fire Event when Widget Created''' * 239 '''Enhance the 'load' Command''' * 240 '''An Ensemble Command to Manage Processes''' * 242 '''Preselect Filter on tk_get*File Dialogs''' ''(just needs implementation)'' * 243 '''Supply Find Dialog for the Text Widget''' * 244 '''PNG Photo Image Support for Tk''' * 246 '''Unify Pattern Matching''' * 248 '''Integrate Tile into Tk as Ttk''' ''(just needs implementation)'' * 251 '''Enhance the 'list' Command''' * 252 '''Add New 'string' Command Options''' * 253 '''Consolidate Package-Related Commands''' * 257 '''Object Orientation for Tcl''' * 259 '''Making 'exec' Optionally Binary Safe''' * 261 '''Return Imported Commands from [[namespace import]]''' * 262 '''Background Images for Frames''' * 264 '''Add Function to Retrieve the Interpreter of a Window''' * 265 '''A Convenient C-side Command Option Parser for Tcl''' * 266 '''Numbers are Commands''' * 267 '''Allow 'exec' to Ignore Stderr''' * 268 '''Enhanced 'package' Version Handling''' * 269 '''Add 'string is list' to the 'string is' Subcommand''' ---- [DKF]: Additional notes on documentation that includes pictures: If we are going to do this, we ''must'' move to [doctools] or [tmml] first, though it will still be possible to support inclusion of pictures within *roff format documentation using the .PSPIC macro [http://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/groff/2004-09/msg00093.html] provided we convert the pictures to postscript. It is not possible to support pictures in nroff output (how most Unix users use manual pages); ideally we'd provide a manual browser ourselves (with the demos?) that avoids this problem. ---- 03-Feb-2006: Given that it's still at 8.5.a3, what's the current prediction for 8.5.0? I'm not complaining, mind you. Just curious. ---- 04-Feb-2006 Paul Walton: What about something like [Tcl3D]? Are there plans for something like that in the core, or is that better off left as an extension? [DKF] (26-Apr-2006): No plans to do anything with 3D stuff for 8.5, and if it's fine as an extension, we could well leave it at that. Masses of apps don't need 3D, even if yours do. :-) But seriously, what (apart from possibly marketing) would be be the benefit to such integration? How would the code gain in functionality or speed from being in the core? Right now, this feels a bit like a WIBNI ("wouldn't it be nice if...") ---- [US] 26-Apr-2006: Isn't it time to add BLT's bgexec to the core (or something functionally similar)? See TIP 240 Yeah! Great! This, a bit of signal handling and a way to change user/group ids would obsolete Tclx when it comes to writing daemons entirely in Tcl. The possibility to half-close a channel (came up in clt again recently) would complete the picture. ---- [RLH] 06-June-2006: I am just wondering how 8.5 is progressing. Are we going to see a release of it this year? ---- [Category Documentation]