When the environment variable '''TCL_LIBRARY'''
is defined, [Tcl]'s default initialization sequence
takes its value to be a file system directory in
which the '''init.tcl''' file should be sought first.
In a proper [Tcl] installation, use of this environment
variable should not be needed.  The main use for it
is in [Tcl]'s own build and test procedures to direct
initialization of a freshly built [Tcl] program so that
it can be tested before it is installed.  Other than
that, it should be considered a tool for "last-resort"
workarounds of broken installations, not a tool for
routine use.
----
If what you are trying to do is set an ''environment variable'' to point to directories
containing other [Tcl] [package]s, check [TCLLIBPATH].

Neither TCL_LIBRARY nor TCLLIBPATH are considered by [tclkit], though.

'''[DGP]''' That claim surprises me.  What is the evidence for it?
- [RS] I tried, in a Cygwin bash,
 $ TCLLIBPATH=/usr/local/lib tclkitsh.exe
and expected its [auto_path] to be extended with /usr/local/lib, but it wasn't (neither with temporarily setting TCL_LIBRARY).

===
$ cat /tmp/t.tcl
#! /bin/tclsh

set ::env(TCLLIBPATH) /usr/tcl84/./lib/tcl8.4/
puts "TCLLIBPATH = $::env(TCLLIBPATH)"
puts "auto_path = $::auto_path"
$ export TCLLIBPATH=/usr/tcl84/./lib/tcl8.4/
$ tclkit /tmp/t.tcl
TCLLIBPATH = /usr/tcl84/./lib/tcl8.4/
auto_path = /usr/tcl84/bin/tclkit/lib/tcl8.4 /usr/tcl84/bin/tclkit/lib
$
===

[LV] I see similar behavior to the above using [ActiveTcl]'s [base-tcl]8.5-thread-solaris-sparc-2.8

'''[DGP]''' What is the value of ::tcl_library in these situations?  That should point us
to which init.tcl file was evaluated, and the mystery would be why that init.tcl file did
not do its usual things with the TCLLIBPATH environment variable.

----
See also [magic names] and [tclvars].

----
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%| [Category Tutorial] | [Category Internals] |%
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