A runner or wrapper is slang for a program that uses or services a computation engine, usually in another or second computer language. Runners have been used to port or extend the use of legacy fortran codes, although there is some controversy on the efficiency of these applications.
      
Here is a stater on an application_runner in TCL.[gold]

----
 # application_runner_&_wrapper.tcl --
 # goldshell7, tcl wiki script on 20060601
 # modified to
 # demo script in Expect 5.21
 # TCL8 distribution, for Win95 use
 # modified to  TCL8 distribution
 #start of deck
 # SCCS: @(#)   1.16 97/03/02 16:25:05
 # GLOBAL VARIABLES
 #
 # application_runner_&_wrapper.tcl --
 # goldshell7, tcl wiki script on 20060601
 # modified to
 # demo script in Expect 5.21
 # TCL8 distribution, for Win95 use
 # modified to  TCL8 distribution
 #start of deck
 # SCCS: @(#)   1.16 97/03/02 16:25:05
 # GLOBAL VARIABLES
 #
 frame .f1

  frame .f2
   frame .f3

  pack  .f1 .f2 .f3
catch {
 global filex
 set filex "1"
 global obj; set obj {1}
 global widget;
    set widget {TEST}

 #################################
 # USER DEFINED PROCEDURES
 #
 proc init {argc argv} {

 }

 init $argc $argv

 proc main {argc argv} {
 global widget
 # $widget insert end "forced text"
 .list insert end "end of show!!!"
 .sorted insert end "end of show!!!"
 }

 proc Window {args} {
 global vTcl
    set cmd [lindex $args 0]
    set name [lindex $args 1]
    set rest [lrange $args 2 end]
    if {$name == "" || $cmd == ""} {return}
    set exists [winfo exists $name]
    switch $cmd {
        show {
            if {[info procs vTclWindow(pre)$name] != ""} {
                vTclWindow(pre)$name $rest
            }
            if {[info procs vTclWindow$name] != ""} {
                vTclWindow$name
            }
            if {[info procs vTclWindow(post)$name] != ""} {
                vTclWindow(post)$name $rest
            }
        }
        hide    { if $exists {wm withdraw $name; return} }
        iconify { if $exists {wm iconify $name; return} }
        destroy { if $exists {destroy $name; return} }
    }
 }
 proc browse {dir file} {
    global env
    #global file
    global filex
    global dirx
    set filex ""
    set dirx ""
    catch {if {[string compare $dir "."] != 0} {set file $dir/$file }}
   set filex $file
                #exec "\"C:/program files/microsoft office/office/winword\"" $file &
          #exec "\C:\/ ted\ " &
          # exec "ted" &
          #exec [C:\/Program\ Files \
 /Microsoft\ Office/Office/Winword] $file &
 #exec [C:\\Program\ Files\\Microsoft\ Office\\Office\\Winword] $file &
 #.entry01 insert end " "
 # .entry02 insert end " "
 set clipped_directory "2";
 set clipped_directory [file dirname $dir]
 .entry01 delete 0 end

 .entry02 delete 0 end

 #  .entry01 insert end $dir
 .entry01 insert end [file dirname $dir]
 .entry01 insert end [eval file dirname  [eval file dirname $dir]]
 .entry02 insert end $filex
 }
 #################################
 # VTCL GENERATED GUI PROCEDURES
 #

 button .button01 -text APPLICATION -command {C:\/Program\ Files\/Microsoft\ Office\/Office\/Winword}
 # TCL has long noses for Microsoft
 button .button02 -text EDIT -command \
 {C:\/Program\ Files\/Microsoft\ Office\/Office\/Winword}

 button .button03 -text EXIT -command {exit}
 button .button04 -text RESET -command {browse $dir $i}
  pack .button01 .button02 .button03 \
 .button04 -in .f1 -side right
  entry .entry01 \
     -textvariable $filex -justify left -width 50 -state normal
 label .label02 \
       -text "target directory" -justify center -width 20
 label .label01 \
       -text "target file" -justify center -width 20
 entry .entry02  \
     -textvariable $filex -justify left -width 50 -state normal
 pack .label01 -side bottom -fill y
 pack .entry01 -side bottom -fill y
 pack .label02 -side bottom -fill y
 pack .entry02 -side bottom -fill y

 # Create a scrollbar on the right side of the main window and a listbox
 # on the left side.

 scrollbar .scroll -command ".list yview"

 listbox .list -yscroll ".scroll set" -relief sunken -width 20 -height 20 \
        -setgrid yes

 pack .list -side left -fill both -expand yes

 listbox .sorted -yscroll ".scroll set" \
      -width 20 -height 20

   pack .sorted -side right

   scrollbar .scrollx -command \
      ".sorted yview"

 pack .scrollx -side right -fill y
 pack .scroll -side right -fill y

 # Fill the listbox with a list of all the files in the directory (run
 # the "ls" command to get that information).
 if {$argc > 0} {
      set dir [lindex $argv 0]
   } else {
      set dir .
   }
   foreach i [lsort [glob * .*]] {
      #.list insert end $i

      .sorted insert end $i
 }
  foreach i [lsort [glob  {\*}]] {

   .list insert end $i

      #.sorted insert end $i
 }

 # Set up bindings for the browser.

 bind all <Control-c> {destroy .}
 bind .list <Double-Button-1> {foreach i [selection get] {browse $dir $i} }

 bind .sorted <Double-Button-1> {foreach i [selection get] {browse $dir $i} }

 main $argc $argv
 # loaded on tcl wiki tcl8
 # 2JUn2006, goldshell7
 # end of deck

  # end of deck

 #application_runner_&_wrapper!  
 
'''Screenshots Section'''


[http://img87.imageshack.us/img87/4645/tclwikiapplicationrunneeu7.png]
'''Comments Section'''

Please put useful comments in this section, thank you.

'''References'''

   * Programming References ( TCL, Fortran  )
   * Search on google search engine for terms as "tcl wrap fortran " 
   * [Numerical Analysis in Tcl]
   * Scripted wrappers, [http://www.itworld.com/AppDev/4061/swol-1218-regex/]
   * [Combining Fortran and Tcl in One Program]       
   * Fortran - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortran]
   * FORTRAN/TK - Trac, [http://svn.netlabs.org/fortrantk]
       
'''Web References''' 
      
   * Google Tutorials, [http://directory.google.com/Top/Computers/Programming/Languages/Fortran/Tutorials/]

----
***Earlier Version***
#application_runner_&_wrapper!
 global filex
 set filex "1"
 global obj; set obj {1}
 global widget; 
    set widget {TEST}
    

 #################################
 # USER DEFINED PROCEDURES
 #
 proc init {argc argv} {

 }

 init $argc $argv


 proc main {argc argv} {
 global widget
 # $widget insert end "forced text"
 .list insert end "end of show!!!"
 .sorted insert end "end of show!!!"
 }

 proc Window {args} {
 global vTcl
    set cmd [lindex $args 0]
    set name [lindex $args 1]
    set rest [lrange $args 2 end]
    if {$name == "" || $cmd == ""} {return}
    set exists [winfo exists $name]
    switch $cmd {
        show {
            if {[info procs vTclWindow(pre)$name] != ""} {
                vTclWindow(pre)$name $rest
            }
            if {[info procs vTclWindow$name] != ""} {
                vTclWindow$name
            }
            if {[info procs vTclWindow(post)$name] != ""} {
                vTclWindow(post)$name $rest
            }
        }
        hide    { if $exists {wm withdraw $name; return} }
        iconify { if $exists {wm iconify $name; return} }
        destroy { if $exists {destroy $name; return} }
    }
 }
 proc browse {dir file} {
    global env
    #global file
    global filex
    global dirx
    set filex ""
    set dirx ""
    catch {if {[string compare $dir "."] != 0} {set file $dir/$file }}
   set filex $file
                #exec "\"C:/program files/microsoft office/office/winword\"" $file &
          #exec "\C:\/ ted\ " &
          # exec "ted" &
          #exec [C:\/Program\ Files \
 /Microsoft\ Office/Office/Winword] $file &
 #exec [C:\\Program\ Files\\Microsoft\ Office\\Office\\Winword] $file &
 #.entry01 insert end " "
 # .entry02 insert end " "
 set clipped_directory "2";
 set clipped_directory [file dirname $dir]
 .entry01 delete 0 end

 .entry02 delete 0 end

 #  .entry01 insert end $dir
 .entry01 insert end [file dirname $dir]
 .entry01 insert end [eval file dirname  [eval file dirname $dir]]
 .entry02 insert end $filex
 }
 #################################
 # VTCL GENERATED GUI PROCEDURES
 #

 button .button01 -text APPLICATION -command {C:\/Program\ Files\/Microsoft\ Office\/Office\/Winword}  
 # TCL has long noses for Microsoft
 button .button02 -text EDIT -command \
 {C:\/Program\ Files\/Microsoft\ Office\/Office\/Winword} 

 button .button03 -text EXIT -command {exit} 
 button .button04 -text RESET -command {browse $dir $i} 
  pack .button01 .button02 .button03 \
 .button04  
  entry .entry01 \
       -font   \
 ----
   -Adobe-Helvetica-Medium-R-Normal-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-* \
 ----
     -textvariable $filex -justify left -width 50 -state normal
 label .label02 \
       -text "target directory" -justify center -width 20 
 label .label01 \
       -text "target file" -justify center -width 20 
 entry .entry02 \
       -font   \
 -Adobe-Helvetica-Medium-R-Normal-*-*-120-*-*-*-*-*-* \
     -textvariable $filex -justify left -width 50 -state normal
 pack .label01 -side bottom -fill y
 pack .entry01 -side bottom -fill y
 pack .label02 -side bottom -fill y
 pack .entry02 -side bottom -fill y
 # Create a scrollbar on the right side of the main window and a listbox
 # on the left side.

 scrollbar .scroll -command ".list yview"


 listbox .list -yscroll ".scroll set" -relief sunken -width 20 -height 20 \
        -setgrid yes


 pack .list -side left -fill both -expand yes

 listbox .sorted -yscroll ".scroll set" \
      -width 20 -height 20
   
   pack .sorted -side right

 
   scrollbar .scrollx -command \
      ".sorted yview"


  
 pack .scrollx -side right -fill y
 pack .scroll -side right -fill y
 
 # Fill the listbox with a list of all the files in the directory (run
 # the "ls" command to get that information).
 if {$argc > 0} {
      set dir [lindex $argv 0]
   } else {
      set dir .
   }
   foreach i [lsort [glob * .*]] {
      #.list insert end $i
       
      .sorted insert end $i
 }
  foreach i [lsort [glob  {\*}]] {
  
   .list insert end $i

      #.sorted insert end $i
 }


 # Set up bindings for the browser.

 bind all <Control-c> {destroy .}
 bind .list <Double-Button-1> {foreach i [selection get] {browse $dir $i} }

 bind .sorted <Double-Button-1> {foreach i [selection get] {browse $dir $i} }


 main $argc $argv
 # loaded on tcl wiki tcl8
 # 2JUn2006, goldshell7


----
**Followup scraps of code**

    text from Ask9,http://wiki.tcl.tk/26462
    How to run external script from Tk 
    and make it throw output to the console? 
    [gold] 2011-05-10,    Perhaps, http://wiki.tcl.tk/1039, 
    http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl8.5/TclCmd/exec.htm,  
    http://www.tcl.tk/faq/tclwin.htm,
    http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl/tutorial/Tcl26.html,
    and http://wiki.tcl.tk/1026
    would be a good place to start.
    Many commands in TCL are effectively scripts to themselves;
    try "eval exit" on your console.
    A session from the Etcl console on a an XP windows.
    Directory of C:\Program Files\Evolane\eTcl\bin
    4% set ff [ dir ] #using catch and windows command
    5% puts $ff
    2% exec etcl.exe king4.tcl 
    9% exec king4.exe # using freewrap compiled tcl executable
    11% eval exec etcl.exe king4.tcl
    12% console eval {pack [button .b -text hello -command {puts hello}]}
    from http://wiki.tcl.tk/67212
    %13 console eval {pack [button .bpanic -text panic -command { exec etcl.exe king4.tcl }]} 
    %14 set output [exec external_program_king4.exe arg1 arg2 arg3]
    %15 set output [exec etcl.exe external_script_king4.tcl arg1 arg2 arg3]
    #using catch []  for non zero return, Ralf Fassel 
    %16 puts $output
    %17 console eval {pack [button .b2 -text hello -command {puts $output}]}
    The application_runner_&_wrapper http://wiki.tcl.tk/16007
    and http://wiki.tcl.tk/4004 are some starter code for 
    calling on external programs and external scripts.
----
    Some years ago, i had a script that  used exec in a display button.
    The tricky part on the exec statement was that
    unix and microsoft had different file location structures
    ( backslash  \ or forward slash / on the pc, for example)
    One can play with the buttons on http://wiki.tcl.tk/15073, appendix demo
    and load a button like
    button .b7 -text "new_game"   -command { exec etcl.exe
    king4.tcl } -background   $colorite
    button .b8 -text "exit"   -command { eval exit }
    If you are a thumb typist like me, you'll soon find why
    a stored command in a button is used.

----

[Category Toys]