[http://www.equi4.com/images/starkit-nextgen.png] A '''Starkit''' is a single file packaging of Tcl scripts, platform specific compiled code and application data; designed to facilitate simple deployment of cross platform applications. The name comes from '''ST'''and'''A'''lone '''R'''untime. Starkits are interpreted using [TclKit] - a single file Tcl/Tk interpreter. You will need a version of TclKit for each platform that you want to run a Starkit on. Have a look at the TclKit download area where there are versions for over a dozen platforms. A '''Starpack''' is a single (platform specific) executable file containing both TclKit and a Starkit. They are useful when you want to deploy a single executable for an application. Starpacks can be built on any platform supporting TclKit. The Starkit home page is http://www.equi4.com/starkit/ The best reference for starkits, starpacks, and tclkits is the paper Steve Landers presented at the Tcl/Tk 2002 conference in Vancouver - on his site at [http://www.digital-smarties.com/Tcl2002/tclkit.pdf]. ---- '''In case you're wondering''' * The term ''scripted document'' is obsolete - it's now a ''Starkit'' * The term ''custom tclkit'' is obsolete - it's now a ''Starpack'' ---- See http://www.equi4.com/mailman/listinfo/starkit for information concerning a mailing list specifically to discuss tclkit/starkit/starpack ideas, development, use. ---- When storing Starkits on a MacOS machine, to what are people generally setting the type and creator values? ''Try type "TEXT" and creator "Tkd4" ([sdx] sets them that way too) -[jcw]'' ---- Check out my hints on [Sexy Starkits] --[Ro] ---- But what '''is''' a Starkit? Quoting [Scripted Documents Are Obscure]: ''what we have here is simply a Tcl version of Java ".jar" files, with the runtime environment optionally bound in. ... As for "simply jar files": not quite, SD's are r/w with transaction-safe commit/rollback because there's a database engine underneath. That means they can also store config info, update themselves, and store extensive datasets. -[jcw]'' In other words: a way of distributing a Tcl/Tk app as a single file, instead of as a bunch of files. And, the user doesn't have to unpack it before it can be used. (But is it still convenient for users to study/edit? ---- Recently while playing with [kitten], I was seeing an error when I attemped to [package] require one of the extensions, but was getting an error. I mused to [jcw] that it would be nice if there were a way to cd into the directory where tclkit was reporting a problem to browse, and he replied that I should be able to do just that. After some experimenting (and a false trail due to my forgetfulness) I found this indeed works: $ tclkit % source /home/lwv26/kitten.kit % cd /home/lwv26/kitten.kit/lib % glob * Class1.0 ClassyTk1.0 Extral2.0 Mpexpr10 Tktable2.7 app-kitten ascenc-0.11 autoproxy autoscroll blowfish-0.10 bwidget-1.3.0 cgi1.6 dyncall-0.11 efftcl-1.0 expect-5.31 gbutton gk5.1 hexdump-0.10 ihash-0.11 itcl-3.2 itk-3.2 itk-3.3 iwidgets3.0.1 iwidgets4.0.1 lzrw1-0.10 mathf-0.11 mclistbox-1.02 md5c-0.11 mentry2.4 mkWidgets1.3 mvec-0.12 narray-0.81 scratch-0.10 supertext-1.0.1 tablelist2.7 tcldom-2.0 tclexpat1.1 tcllib1.3 tclsoap1.6.5 tclx8.4 tclxml2.0 tdom0.7 tix8.2 tkhtml0.0 tls-1.4 wcb2.8 wikit % This may help you when attempting to debug strange errors. Also, note that when I tried doing ls or exec ls, the ls command did not see the directories, etc. within the lib. This seems to me to be bad news for someone wanting to merge using [exec], [open] |, or other external calls with [VFS] mounted filesystems. (See [VFS, exec and command pipelines] for discussion on this issue; if someone wants to contribute the time/code, at least some sort of functionality ought to be possible and useful there). ---- [LV] I discovered this week that [ActiveTcl] 8.4.1.0 ships with the necessary framework to allow one to say: /path/to/activetcl8.4.1.0/bin/tclsh sdx.kit or any other starkit, and the starkit executes. No requirement for a Tclkit. The Tclkit, of course, is still a superior distribution mechanism . Hopefully there will be tools one day that one can use to generate a starkit based on the Tcl environment available and the script(s) being wrapped. ---- [stevel] see [Demonstrating Starkits] for some ideas on how to present Starkits to the uninitiated ---- [Category Tclkit]