[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 * 8.5a5 October 2006 * 8.5a6 April 2007 * 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''' * 122 '''Use tcl_{non,}wordchars Throughout Tcl/Tk''' * 128 '''Ability to Install a Custom Memory Allocator''' * 133 '''Extending [[expr]] Operators''' * 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''' * 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]]''' * 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''' * 243 '''Supply Find Dialog for the Text Widget''' * 244 '''PNG Photo Image Support for Tk''' * 246 '''Unify Pattern Matching''' * 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''' * 262 '''Background Images for Frames''' * 265 '''A Convenient C-side Command Option Parser for Tcl''' * 271 '''Windows-Style Open and Save File Dialog on Unix''' * 276 '''Specify and Unify Variable Linking Commands''' * 277 '''Create Namespaces as Needed''' * 278 '''Fix Variable Name Resolution Quirks''' * 279 '''Adding an Extensible Object System to the Core''' * 281 '''Improvements in System Error Handling''' * 282 '''Enhanced Expression Syntax''' * 283 '''Modify Ensemble Command Resolution Behaviour''' * 284 '''New 'invoke' and 'namespace invoke' Commands''' * 285 '''Script Cancellation with [[cancel]] and Tcl_CancelEval''' * 288 '''Allow "args" Anywhere in Procedure Formal Arguments''' * 290 '''Registration of Custom Error Handler Scripts''' * 292 '''Allow Unquoted Strings in Expressions''' * 295 '''Enhance Arguments to lrange''' * 296 '''Enhanced Syntax for Pair-Wise Indices''' * 297 '''Integer Type Introspection and Conversion''' * 301 '''Split Bidirectional Channels For Half-Close''' * 302 '''Fix "after"'s Sensitivity To Adjustments Of System Clock''' * 303 '''Enhance 'llength' Command to Support Nested Lists''' * 304 '''A Standalone [[pipe]] Primitive for Advanced Child IPC''' * 306 '''Auto-Naming Widgets''' ''Approved TIPs needing finalization (i.e. implementing)'' * 119 '''Angled Text on a Canvas''' * 125 '''Converting between Frame and Toplevel Windows''' * 141 '''Multiple Initial-Files in [[tk_getOpenFile]]''' * 145 '''Enhanced Tk Font Handling''' * 242 '''Preselect Filter on tk_get*File Dialogs''' ---- [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. [jmn] 2006-11-19 Yes please to 'half-closing' of channels. In particular, certain odd TCP protocols use half-closing of a channel as a signal to send final data to the other side. As far as I know this isn't really a great practice as far as interoperability.. but at least one common system requires it - spamassassin's spamc/spamd protocol. To the best of my understanding, unextended Tcl simply can't read the final response from such a daemon. (and I don't know what extensions if any, enable it) Perl,Python,Java,PHP and VB .NET have the ability to do such half-closing of TCP connections. The 'shutdown' of TCP sockets aside - it would be nice to see a general mechanism for bidirectional TCL channels to be changed from read-write to just read or write... or even a way to split a handle into separate read & write handles. ---- [RLH] 06-June-2006: I am just wondering how 8.5 is progressing. Are we going to see a release of it this year? [SYStems] and I would like to ask about the Object Orientation tip, will it make the 8.5 release? [DKF]: If I can find enough time to make method dispatch work right, yes. But I'm worked off my feet right now. :-( [RLH]: If that is holding the release of 8.5 back then I would rather see a release and then an 8.5.1 or .2 with that included. [DKF]: [Tile]/[Ttk] is the other big thing that we're waiting for. Everything else depends on people stepping up to the plate and having a go. :-) [RLH]: Well okay, that is worth waiting for. : ) ---- [Category Documentation]