Installation and Usage

Installation requirements and usage instructions

DESCRIPTION

System Requirements

The 32-bit builds of the TWAPI extension require

  • Windows XP or later,
  • Tcl version 8.5 or later.

The 64-bit builds of TWAPI require

  • Windows 2003 Server or later,
  • Tcl version 8.5 or later.

For Windows 2000, use TWAPI 3.0 or earlier. For Windows NT 4.0 (SP3 or later), use TWAPI 1.1.5 or earlier releases.

Distribution formats

The software is distributed in multiple forms (PLATFORM may be x86 or x64 for the 32- and 64-bit builds respectively):

  • A ZIP archive, "twapi-VERSION.zip", that includes the Tcl scripts in source form and is platform independent, containing both 32- and 64-bit DLLs. This is best suited for developers who might want access to the Tcl scripts during development.
  • A ZIP archive, "twapi-bin-VERSION.zip", in which the Tcl scripts are embedded within the DLL. This is also platform independent and simultaneously supports both 32- and 64-bit Tcl.
  • A ZIP archive, "twapi-modular-VERSION.zip", containing separate DLL's for each TWAPI module. This distribution is also platform independent and simultaneously supports both 32- and 64-bit Tcl.

Some factors to consider in choosing the distribution:

  • The "twapi-VERSION.zip" distribution includes the Tcl scripts as separate files. Depending on target audience, this may or may not be a good thing. It is also the smallest distribution as the Tcl scripts are shared between the 32- and 64-bit DLLs.
  • The "twapi-bin-VERSION.zip" distribution contains 32- and 64-bit DLL's with the scripts embedded. It is intended for deployment into standard Tcl installations where the script source is not required or desired. If shipping TWAPI as part of a tclkit/starkit/starpack, this distribution must be used. The other distributions will not work.
  • In the "twapi-modular-VERSION.zip" distribution, each TWAPI module is built as a separate component with the associated scripts embedded. It is not intended to be used as-is. Rather applications that need only a small subset of TWAPI commands can ship only those modules.

Installing TWAPI

To install any ZIP distribution, unzip it into a directory that is included in your Tcl auto_path variable. The ZIP distributions can be used by both 32-bit and 64-bit Tcl from the same location.

COPYRIGHT

Copyright © 2003-2013 Ashok P. Nadkarni

Tcl Windows API 4.2.12