Version 8 of auto_execok

Updated 2004-06-01 14:54:43

auto_execok is one of several commands documented at http://www.tcl.tk/man/tcl8.4/TclCmd/library.htm


Canonical example usage:

    eval exec [auto_execok dir] *.$suffix

[Explain why this is better than $::env(COMSPEC), cmd.exe, ...]

LES on Jun 1st, 2004: Yes, please, do that. :-)


To demonstrate why [eval] is required:

 % auto_execok start
 C:/WINNT/system32/CMD.EXE /c start
 % exec [auto_execok start] http://wiki.tcl.tk
 couldn't execute "C:\WINNT\system32\CMD.EXE \c start": invalid argument
 % eval exec [auto_execok start] http://wiki.tcl.tk
 % # success

Note that if any arguments to "start" have spaces in them, you have to list-protect them from eval

 % set mydoc "My document.doc"
 % eval exec [auto_execok start] $mydoc
 % # msword may complain about being unable to find "My" and "document.doc"'
 % eval exec [auto_execok start] [list $mydoc]; # should be more successful





See also exec, Invoking browsers,


Tcl syntax help - Arts and crafts of Tcl-Tk programming - Category Command