TclBase

TclBase: An RDBMS in Tcl.

Note: This project never really got off the ground, and I've gotten side tracked & have no time or resources to spend on it. I still think that this is a great idea & would be happy to contribute to it if someone else is interested in championing it. The list is no longer available, but contact me at [email protected] if you have questions.

The Idea:

Tcl is a great language. It's simple, powerful & flexible. Add Equi4 Software's Metakit for Tcl & you can create quite sophisticated DB applications easily. But, easy is a relative term. It still requires a substantial knowledge of Tcl to make any but the simplest systems.

Enter TclBase. TclBase is a planned system that will make creation of simple to moderately sophisticated databases quick & easy, and require virtually no knowledge of Tcl. TclBase's real strong point, however, comes when you begin to reach it's limits. Once you get to the point where TclBase can no longer achieve your goals, you can simply drop down to the code level & extend the system in almost arbitrary ways.

The planned model for TclBase is Filemaker Pro. If you've used Filemaker, you probably have a good idea why I like it as a starting point-- It's incredibly easy to build a simple DB system. And, if you've used Filemaker, you probably also know why I want to replace it-- It can be incredibly difficult to meove beyond a simple system. By modeling TclBase after Filemaker's strong points, but improving upon it's weak points, we can build a system that will work for as many people as possible.

The Features:

Cross-platform (Mac, Win, Linux at least), Open-Source(1), freely redistributable IDE.
Easy client/server data management & validation; graphical field definition; and pre-written code to handle navigation.
Visual GUI design, either thru a simple Wizard system (define the fields, the wizard automatically generates a frame or toplevel as needed); integration with a tool such as Visual Tcl (or a new tool if needed); or both.
A Simple (possibly graphical) macro language that allows most common tasks to be programmed without requiring Tcl. The code underlying the macro commands is all in Tcl, so modification & extension is a trivial matter.
A simple internal text editor, plus (ideally) integration with another more powerful text editor.
Integrated Web Server.
Cross-platform printing capabilities.
Cross-platform spell-checking.
Other features to be determined.

The Plan:

Obviously, this will be a massive project. Far too big for me. The best way to handle it, I think, is to work together. Each of us can tackle the portion that interests us.

One nice thing about this project is that many of the jobs are things that we already must do or have done-- We've already had to create the navigation code, it'll be a fairly simple matter to modify that code to work in a generic manner for most needs. Those elements that are unique to this project will hopefully be intriguing & useful enough to inspire plenty of interest.

The first step to creating this must be planning. We need to define exactly what the necessary features are, & how best to implement them. For this step, we need as many participants as possible. If you feel you have a need for the finished product, your participation in the planning stages will help greatly.

The next step, as I see it, is to start to create the underlying support code-- ie. the printing & spell-checking tools, & other libraries that are of general use even without the full development environment. That way we can begin to feel the benefits of the project even before it's finished.

Finally, we'll begin to integrate the larger units & turn it into a finished product.

How You Can Help:

This will be a community project. We can use all the help we can get, even if you aren't able to contribute any actual code. We need to get feedback on your needs & desires. So, what we need is for everyone who's interested to join our mailing list. There we'll hash out the details & start working towards the final goal.

See note above

Notes: TclBase is an independent project. It is being supported by Equi4 Software in any way possible (such as providing this server space), but it is not a Equi4 Project. If you have questions about the project, contact [email protected]

(1) TclBase will be open-source using a license which is to be determined. The Metakit library is also open-source (as of 15-12-1999).

(2) Is an integrated server the way forward? Would enabling Tclbase to run with any server be a better proposition? Therefore a generic interface module would be required... (25 Apr 2000)