[Explain meaning.]
Static syntax analysis is the process of looking at a text file and attempting to identify errors, warnings, etc. from the text without executing the code. This is tricky to do in-depth because in an interpretive environment, programmers often make use of dynamic techniques for code generation, etc. These dynamic code fragments typically won't be evaluated during a static syntax sweep. Another short-coming, at least as far as procheck and frink go, is that they operate only on the source code specified on the command line. This means that calls to autoloaded or sourceed commands are treated as unknowns, unless the file in which they are defined was specified 'before the invocation.
A C programmer will be familar with a program called lint; this program provides static syntax analysis for C.
[Enumerate, especially frink and TclPro's procheck. Refer to [L1 ]. Give examples of use.]
[Also Peter Spjuth's [L2 ] and Andreas Leitgeb's "bracechecker" [L3 ].]
See also What debugging tools are available to a Tcl programmer and Are there tools which are required or would be useful when developing in Tcl.