TCLpy 🚀

A Lightweight, Zero-Dependency Tcl-to-Python Compiler & FFI Bridge

tclpy is a high-performance, open-source Tcl-to-Python bridge and execution engine. Instead of running a string-based interpreter, tclpy compiles Tcl source code directly into native CPython AST nodes (ast.Assign, ast.If, ast.For, ast.Call), delivering seamless Python interoperability while preserving Tcl's core "everything is a string" command semantics. tclpy was inspired by hylang. We want to bring the fun back to coding in TCL.

Key Features

• AST-Based Compilation: Compiles Tcl control flow, variable bindings, and command calls directly into CPython Abstract Syntax Tree nodes for native execution speed.
• Direct Python Interop: Import any Python module or standard library package via py::import and invoke functions using Tcl's double-colon notation (math::sqrt, os::listdir).
• Unified Scope Model: Shares state transparently between Tcl proc definitions, variable namespaces, and Python objects.
• Tcl-First Presentation: Internal storage leverages high-performance Python objects, while external output marshaling formats collections into traditional space-separated Tcl strings.
• Zero-Overhead Hybrid Execution: Keeps Tcl managing high-level application state, event loops, and logic, while executing Python object-heavy operations smoothly.
• Minimalist Design Philosophy: Avoids unnecessary AST bloat by providing py_exec for inline Python edge cases rather than polluting the core grammar.

Recent Features & Capabilities

• TCP Socket Support: Full support for client connections (socket host port) and background server listeners (socket -server callback port) using multithreading and environment-bound callback execution.
• Channel & Flush Operations: Interoperable channel management (_open_channels) supporting open, gets, puts, close, and flush across both files and network streams.
• Extended String Command Suite: Comprehensive implementation of Tcl string subcommands including length, index, range, compare, equal, first, last, match, map, toupper, tolower, trim, replace, and is.

Core Command Set

String Operations Quick Reference

Quickstart & Installation

git clone [https://github.com/TCLpy/TCLpy.git](https://github.com/TCLpy/TCLpy.git)
cd tclpy
pip install -e .