Tcl 8.3 introduces some new options to [glob] which generally make scripts more robust and cross-platform. For example, they help to avoid incorrect usage like: glob $dir/* glob [file join $dir *] which both fail if ''$dir'' contains glob sensitive characters. The new syntax would be: glob -dir $dir * which besides fixing the above problem has the added benefit of working on MacOS, since '/' is not assumed to be the directory separator. If you want to write code using the new glob flags/options, such as ''glob -dir $dir -type d *'', obviously your new code will no longer work with older versions of Tcl (e.g. 8.0-8.2). If you would like a compatibility layer which can be loaded into Tcl 8.0-8.2 (probably even older versions of Tcl too), overriding the old glob to emulate the new one in Tcl 8.3, here it is: New: this now adds support for '-tails' which was introduced in Tcl 8.4a3. # Tcl 8.3 or newer have a more complex glob already. if {[info tclversion] < 8.3} { # we've copied this here from stringsLists.tcl to avoid some # bad auto-loading problems if there are early startup errors. ;proc getOpts {{take_value ""} {set "set"}} { upvar args a upvar opts o while {[string match \-* [set arg [lindex $a 0]]]} { set a [lreplace $a 0 0] if {$arg == "--"} { return } else { if {[set idx [lsearch -regexp $take_value \ "^-?[string range $arg 1 end]( .*)?$"]] == -1} { set o($arg) 1 } else { if {[llength [set the_arg \ [lindex $take_value $idx]]] == 1} { $set o($arg) [lindex $a 0] set a [lreplace $a 0 0] } else { set numargs [expr {[lindex $the_arg 1] -1}] $set o($arg) [lrange $a 0 $numargs] set a [lreplace $a 0 $numargs] } } } } } rename glob __glob ;proc glob {args} { getOpts {-t -types -type -dir -directory -path} # place platform specific file separator in variable 'separator's regexp {Z(.)Z} [file join Z Z] "" separator if {[info exists opts(-join)]} { unset opts(-join) set args [list [eval file join $args]] } set add "" foreach t {t type} { if {[info exists opts(-$t)]} { eval lappend opts(-types) $opts(-$t) unset opts(-$t) } } if {[info exists opts(-directory)]} { set opts(-dir) $opts(-directory) unset opts(-directory) } if {[info exists opts(-types)]} { if {[set item [lsearch -exact $opts(-types) "d"]] != -1} { set opts(-types) [lreplace $opts(-types) $item $item] set add $separator set isdirectory 1 } } if {[set nocomplain [info exists opts(-nocomplain)]]} { unset opts(-nocomplain) } if {[info exists opts(-path)]} { if {[info exists opts(-dir)]} { error {"-directory" cannot be used with "-path"} } regsub -all {[][*?\{\}\\]} $opts(-path) {\\&} prefix unset opts(-path) } elseif {[info exists opts(-dir)]} { regsub -all {[][*?\{\}\\]} $opts(-dir) {\\&} prefix append prefix ${separator} unset opts(-dir) } else { set prefix "" } if {[info exists opts(-tails)]} { set tails [file dirname "${prefix}xx"] unset opts(-tails) if {![string length $prefix]} { error {"-tails" must be used with either "-directory" or "-path"} } } set res {} foreach arg $args { eval lappend res [__glob -nocomplain -- \ "${prefix}${arg}${add}"] } if {[info exists opts(-types)]} { # we ignore arguments to -types which haven't yet been # handled, since they are assumed to be platform # specific unset opts(-types) } if {[set llen [llength [array names opts]]]} { set ok "-nocomplain, -join, -dir ,\ -path , -types " if {$llen > 1} { error "bad switches \"[array names opts]\":\ must be $ok or --" } else { error "bad switch \"[array names opts]\":\ must be $ok or --" } } elseif {[llength $res]} { if {[info exists isdirectory]} { foreach r $res { lappend newres [string trimright $r $separator] } set res $newres } if {[info exists tails]} { set res [list] set len [expr {[string length $tails]}] foreach r $newres { lappend res [string range $r $len end] } } return $res } elseif {$nocomplain} { return "" } else { switch -- [llength $args] { 0 { error "wrong # args: should be \"glob ?switches?\ name ?name ...?\"" } 1 { error "no files matched glob pattern \"$args\"" } default { error "no files matched glob patterns \"$args\"" } } } } } else { # Version 8.3.x have all the glob flags apart from -tails which # should be introduced in 8.4a3. Therefore we overload glob # here for 8.3.x-8.4a2 specifically to support -tails (which is # quite easy). if {([info tclversion] < 8.4) || [regexp {8\.4a[12]} [info patchlevel]]} { # Need to add '-tails' to glob rename glob __glob ;proc glob {args} { set i 0 while {1} { set str [lindex $args $i] if {[string index $str 0] != "-"} { break } switch -glob -- $str { "--" { break } "-n*" - "-j*" { } "-ty*" { incr i } "-d*" { incr i set dir [lindex $args $i] } "-p*" { incr i set dir [file dirname [lindex $args $i]] } "-ta*" { set tails $i } "-t" { error {ambiguous option "-t": must be -directory, -join, -nocomplain, -path, -tails, -types, or --} } } incr i } if {[info exists tails]} { if {![info exists dir]} { error {"-tails" must be used with either "-directory" or "-path"} } set args [lreplace $args $tails $tails] set res [uplevel 1 [list __glob] $args] set realres {} set len [expr {1+ [string length $dir]}] foreach r $res { lappend realres [string range $r $len end] } return $realres } else { uplevel 1 [list __glob] $args } } } } -- I'm confused. Can you show some old code that breaks? By the way, I assume you meant to say "if you want your OLD glob code to work ..." [Vince]: hopefully the clarification above solves your confusion. The Tcl 8.3 changes to glob are 100% ''backwards'' compatible. The goal of this page is to provide ''forwards'' compatibility for people who write 'modern' code but still want those stuck at Tcl 8.0-8.2 to be able to use it. It handles most common uses of Tcl 8.3's glob. ''This approach deserves its own page IMO: [Forward compatibility] --jcw'' ---- [[ [Category Oldies] | [Category Porting] ]]