Introduction To TCL SCL

Introduction to Tcl/Scl
Surpac 6.6
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Product
Surpac™ 6.6
Last modified: Friday, 27 May 2013
Table of Contents
Introduction to Tcl/Scl Surpac 6.3....................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 7
Overview................................................................................................................................................... 7
Requirements ........................................................................................................................................... 7
Workflow .................................................................................................................................................. 7
Setup for this tutorial ........................................................................................................................ 8
Setting the work directory........................................................................................................................ 8
Task: Set the work directory .................................................................................................................. 8
Logicals, command aliases, and hotkeys ............................................................................................. 9
Logicals ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Task: Create a user logical ................................................................................................................... 11
Command alias ....................................................................................................................................... 11
Task: Create a command alias ............................................................................................................. 13
Keymaps ................................................................................................................................................. 14
Task: Create a hotkey .......................................................................................................................... 14
Creating menus and toolbars ........................................................................................................... 15
Invoking the menu and toolbar editor tool ............................................................................................ 15
Task: Creating a menu from system menu items ................................................................................ 16
Task: Copy and paste an existing menu .............................................................................................. 16
Creating your own menu items .............................................................................................................. 16
Task: Create menu items ..................................................................................................................... 16
Creating a custom toolbar ...................................................................................................................... 18
Task: Create a custom toolbar ............................................................................................................. 18
Task: Create a custom button to put onto a toolbar........................................................................... 18
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 19
Recording tasks in a Tcl script........................................................................................................... 20
Macro record .......................................................................................................................................... 20
Task: Record a macro .......................................................................................................................... 20
Macro playback ...................................................................................................................................... 21
Task: Playback the macro .................................................................................................................... 21
Task: Run a script without the macro playback form .......................................................................... 21
Structure of a Tcl macro ......................................................................................................................... 22
SclFunction ............................................................................................................................................. 25
Task: Record a script to rotate data .................................................................................................... 25
Using the _action switch ........................................................................................................................ 26
Task: Record a script to create a DTM ................................................................................................. 27
Task: Record a script to perform inquire point ................................................................................... 29
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 29
Some required Tcl basics to get working ........................................................................................... 30
What is Tcl? ............................................................................................................................................ 30
What is Scl? ............................................................................................................................................ 30
Tcl Syntax ................................................................................................................................................ 31
Commands.............................................................................................................................................. 31
Page 3 of 89
set ........................................................................................................................................................ 31
puts ...................................................................................................................................................... 32
Variables and substitution...................................................................................................................... 32
Grouping constructs ............................................................................................................................... 33
Command substitution ........................................................................................................................... 33
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 34
Creating user forms for scripts ......................................................................................................... 35
Guido ...................................................................................................................................................... 35
Guido command syntax .......................................................................................................................... 36
Guido command switches ...................................................................................................................... 37
GuidoForm.............................................................................................................................................. 38
SclCreateGuidoForm .............................................................................................................................. 38
SclRun ..................................................................................................................................................... 39
Tying Guido together with the Scl form functions ................................................................................. 40
Task: Create your first form ................................................................................................................. 40
GuidoField .............................................................................................................................................. 41
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoField ...................................................................................... 41
GuidoComboBox..................................................................................................................................... 43
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoComboBox............................................................................. 43
GuidoCheckBox ...................................................................................................................................... 45
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoCheckBox .............................................................................. 45
GuidoRadioButton and GuidoButtonGroupPanel .................................................................................. 47
Task: Create a form with GuidoRadioButtons and GuidoButtonGroupPanel ..................................... 47
GuidoFileBrowserField ........................................................................................................................... 49
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoFileBrowserField ................................................................... 49
GuidoLabel.............................................................................................................................................. 51
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoLabel...................................................................................... 51
Dependencies in Guido .......................................................................................................................... 52
Task: Create a form with a dependency .............................................................................................. 52
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 53
Automating a recorded script........................................................................................................... 54
Task: Automate a common string maths operation ............................................................................ 54
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 57
A better way to select points in graphics .......................................................................................... 58
The SclSelectPoint function .................................................................................................................... 58
Task: A simple example to show usage ............................................................................................... 58
Piping point data back into Surpac ......................................................................................................... 59
Task: Use SclSelectPoint and then pass xyz values back to Surpac ..................................................... 59
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 60
Useful Tcl commands ....................................................................................................................... 61
Working with numbers ........................................................................................................................... 61
The incr command ............................................................................................................................... 61
Task: Use incr ....................................................................................................................................... 61
The expr command .............................................................................................................................. 62
Task: Use expr...................................................................................................................................... 63
The SclExpr command ......................................................................................................................... 63
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Table of Contents
Working with text strings ....................................................................................................................... 65

string length <text string> ................................................................................................................... 65
Task: Use string length ........................................................................................................................ 65
string index <text string> <charIndex> ................................................................................................ 65
Task: Use string index .......................................................................................................................... 66
string first <string1> <string2> [<startIndex>] ................................................................................... 66
string range <text string> <first> <last> .............................................................................................. 67
string trim <text string> ....................................................................................................................... 67
string tolower <text string> and string toupper <text string>............................................................. 68
Working with the File System................................................................................................................. 69
file copy [-force] <source file name> <target file name> .................................................................... 69
Task: Use file copy ............................................................................................................................... 69
file delete [-force] <file name> ............................................................................................................ 69
Task: Use file delete............................................................................................................................. 69
file rename [-force] <source file name> <target file name> ............................................................... 69
Task: Use file rename .......................................................................................................................... 70
file exists <file name> .......................................................................................................................... 70
Task: Use file exists .............................................................................................................................. 70
file mkdir <directory path> & cd <directory path>.............................................................................. 70
Task: Use file mkdir ............................................................................................................................. 70
glob [-nocomplain --] <directory specification> .................................................................................. 71
Task: Use the glob command .............................................................................................................. 71
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 72
Basic flow control in Tcl ................................................................................................................... 73
Boolean expressions ............................................................................................................................... 73
The if Command ..................................................................................................................................... 75
if {expression} then {command body} ................................................................................................. 75
Task: Use an if then statement ............................................................................................................ 75
if {expression} then {commands} else {commands} ............................................................................ 76
Task: Use an if then else statement .................................................................................................... 76
if {expression} then {commands} elseif {commands} […] .................................................................... 77
Task: Use an if elseif statement........................................................................................................... 77
if {exprsn} {commands} elseif {commands} […] else {commands} ..................................................... 78
Task: Use an if elseif else statement ................................................................................................... 78
while {expression} {commands} ............................................................................................................. 79
Task: Use a while statement................................................................................................................ 79
for {start} {expression} {next} {commands}............................................................................................ 80
Task: Use a for statement.................................................................................................................... 80
Changing loop behaviour with continue and break ............................................................................... 81
Task: Use continue and break in a loop............................................................................................... 81
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 81
Manipulating Surpac ranges with Scl ................................................................................................ 82
SclRangeExpand...................................................................................................................................... 82
SclRangeGetCount .................................................................................................................................. 82
SclRangeGet............................................................................................................................................ 83
Putting the range commands together .................................................................................................. 83
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 85
File input and output – reading and writing files ............................................................................... 86
Page 5 of 89
Opening and closing files........................................................................................................................ 86
open <file name> <access>.................................................................................................................. 86
close <file reference variable> ............................................................................................................ 86
Reading from a file ................................................................................................................................. 86
gets <file reference variable> <variable for read data> ...................................................................... 87
eof <file reference variable> ............................................................................................................... 87
Writing to a file ....................................................................................................................................... 87
puts <file reference variable> <text string> ........................................................................................ 87
A file-processing template...................................................................................................................... 88
Task: Create a file-processing template .............................................................................................. 88
Summary ................................................................................................................................................ 88
Tcl references .................................................................................................................................. 89
Surpac help ............................................................................................................................................. 89
Text books .............................................................................................................................................. 89
WWW resources..................................................................................................................................... 89
Page 6 of 89
Introduction
Overview
GEOVIA Surpac provides tools that allow the software to be customised and many repetitive tasks
automated into a single control script. These control scripts tell the software to perform a series of
functions in an ordered manner. Control scripts are commonly called macros, Tcl scripts, or just scripts.
The Surpac scripting language is an extension to an independent (nonproprietary) scripting language
called Tcl. Tcl has been distributed freely since 1990 and is now used in thousands of applications world-
wide.
The scripting engine (macro interpreter) contained within Surpac, processes scripts that can contain
standard Tcl statements as well as Surpac extension commands called Scl. Tcl is an acronym for Tool
command language while Scl is an acronym for Surpac command language.
Requirements
This tutorial assumes that you have a basic knowledge of Surpac. If you are a new Surpac user, you
should complete the Introduction to Surpac tutorial before beginning this tutorial. This tutorial also
assumes that you have basic skills in using a text editor such as ConTEXT or Notepad. The tutorial does
not assume you have any previous scripting/programming background.
You will also need:
 Surpac installed on your computer
 a text editor application installed on your computer, preferably ConTEXT
Workflow
Record Script
Modify Script
Debug Script
Test Script Complete Script
Note: This workflow demonstrates the steps in this tutorial. There are other ways to achieve a result.
Page 7 of 89
Setup for this tutorial Setting the work directory
Setup for this tutorial

Setting the work directory
A work directory is the default directory for saving Surpac files. Files used in this tutorial are stored in
the folder <shared_files> \demo_data\tutorials\tcl_scl
Where <shared_files> is the directory in which the Surpac shared files were installed.
In Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8, the default path is:
C:\Users\Public\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\demo_data\tutorials\tcl_scl
In XP, the default path is
C:\Documents and Settings\Public\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\demo_data\tutorials\tcl_scl.
Task: Set the work directory

1. In the Navigator, right-click the tcl_scl folder.
2. From the shortcut menu, select Set as work directory.
The name of the work directory is displayed in the title bar of the Surpac window.
Page 8 of 89
Logicals, command aliases, and hotkeys Logicals
Logicals, command aliases, and hotkeys

Creating a macro script to automate some process in Surpac is an easy task to perform. However, having
this macro work consistently from any directory can be difficult. Using logicals when you develop
macros is crucial to achieving portability across directory structures. The use of command aliases and
hotkeys then provides you with a mechanism to quickly access and run common macros.
Logicals
‘Logical’ is a Surpac term that refers to the use of a known name to map to a physical directory. The
known name, or ‘logical’, is mapped to a directory on your hard disk at runtime. Using this system your
macros do not have to refer to a hard coded directory, which might be different on every installation of
Surpac, to access files.
For example, the logical name SSI_ETC: (the known name) can be mapped to a directory named
c:/users/Public/GEOVIA/Surpac/66/share/etc on one system or s:/software/Surpac/v6/share/etc on
another. Surpac uses the known name SSI_ETC: to refer to the directory, this means it does not need to
know where this directory actually exists because it is mapped at runtime.
The reasons logicals are used are:
 to insulate the software from the file system
 to shorten notation for accessing long directory paths
 to standardise data
Logicals come in three types:
 System – defined in the translate.ssi file
 User – define in the SSI_ETC:logicals.ssi file
 Personal – defined in any file and specified to Surpac using the Customise > Default Preferences
function
System logicals are defined by the software installation procedure and are stored into a file that is
usually called translate.ssi. The system logicals are mandatory. You should never modify a system
logical. Below is an example translate.ssi file.
MACHINE=WIN32
SSI_ETC: c:\Users\Public\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\etc\
SSI_STYLES: c:\Users\Public\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\styles\
SSI_PLOTTING: c:\Users\Public\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\plotting\
SSI_PROFILES: c:\Users\Public\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\profiles\
SSI_HMF: c:\Program Files (x86)\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\hmf\
SSI_MESSAGES: c:\Program Files (x86)\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\msg\
SSI_REFMAN: c:\Program Files (x86)\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\refman\
SSI_RESOURCE: c:\Users\Public\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\resource\
SSI_JAVA: c:\Program Files (x86)\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\share\java\
SSI_BIN: c:\Program Files (x86)\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\nt_i386\bin
SSI_LIB: c:\Program Files (x86)\GEOVIA\Surpac\66\nt_i386\lib\
END
Page 9 of 89
Logicals, command aliases, and hotkeys Logicals
Caution: Do not add user logicals to the translate file. This is because at each new installation of the
software this file is created and so you will lose any changes that you had made.
User logicals are optional and you can use them to make finding your macros and data easier. In the
same way that system logicals make it easy for Surpac to locate files, user logicals make it easy for you
to locate your data and macros. For example, you could define logicals to centralise the storage of your
survey pickups, or make a repository used to store all macros so that each user on a site can access
them using a consistent name. Using a logical to access macros and data using a standard naming
convention, where the physical location of files on a disk does not matter, can be very helpful when you
are working in a network environment, especially when users have different physical drive mappings.
User logicals are also a valuable tool when you are designing menu systems and macros. By using
logicals, the menu definitions and macros can be kept insulated from the file system because there is no
need to worry about physical drive mappings. This way when menus and scripts are transferred to other
computers, it is only the logical reference in the logicals.ssi file that needs to be changed and not the
actual script or menu definitions.
User logicals are defined in a file called logicals.ssi that is stored in the SSI_ETC: directory. This is a
system logical that maps to the directory where the etc files are stored. The logicals.ssi file is optional, if
this file does not exist is does not cause an error in Surpac. However, if it does exist then Surpac will load
the file and add any defined logicals to the system logical map.
Personal logicals are similar to user logicals except that they can be defined in a file with any name. For
example, you can store personal logicals in a file called mylogicals.txt .To make Surpac load a personal
logicals file you must define it in Surpac using the alias tab of the Settings form. You can access this form
by choosing Customise > Default preferences. The format of a personal alias file is exactly the same as
the logicals.ssi file.
When Surpac starts, it will load logical definitions in the following order:
1. System logicals from SSI_ETC:translate.ssi.
2. User logicals from SSI_ETC:logicals.ssi.
3. Personal logicals from your defined logical file.
If there are duplicate logical definitions then the last one read is the one that takes precedence. It is not
an error to define duplicate logicals and you might have good reasons to do so, such as redefining the
location of the SSI_PLOTTING: logical in your personal logicals file.
Below is an example of a logicals.ssi file or a personal logicals file.
MINESOLUTIONS: c:/minesolutions/
MS_SPOOLER: c:/minesolutions/spooler/
MS_STRING: c:/minesolutions/string/
MS_RINGKING: c:/minesolutions/ringking/
MY_MACROS: c:/macros/
The structure of the file is quite basic. You first define the logical name, leave some white space, this can
be one or more spaces, then define the physical directory mapping followed by a trailing slash.
Note: The trailing slash is mandatory, but it can be either a forward or backslash.
Page 10 of 89
Logicals, command aliases, and hotkeys Command alias
Tips:
 Use the full colon at the end of each logical. It provides a consistent end-of-logical marker and
makes file paths easier to read when using logicals.
 Forward slashes are recommended over backslashes for your physical paths. Backslashes can
sometimes cause obscure problems due to their use as an escaping function in Tcl scripts.
 Make sure your physical directory names are correct; Surpac does not check to see if they
actually exist.
Task: Create a user logical

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Choose File > New.
3. Determine the path name of your current working directory in Surpac.
Note: The pathname of the current work directory is displayed in the title bar of the Surpac window.
4. Define a logical called MY_WORK: that will map to the current work directory. Your definition
will look similar to the following extract from the default.ssi file:
MY_WORK: c:/Users/Public/GEOVIA/Surpac/66/demo_data/tutorials/tcl_scl/
5. Choose File > Save As.

6. In the Save As form, navigate to the SSI_ETC: directory, and type logicals.ssi for the file name,
then click Save.
7. If you are running Surpac, exit and then restart.
8. Locate your new logical called MY_WORK: in the Navigator.
Note: All logical names are listed in the Surpac Navigator beneath the folder names in
alphabetical order.
Tip: If you cannot find your MY_WORK: logical in the list check that you have named the logicals file
correctly as described in step six. Make sure you know what the actual pathname for SSI_ETC is on your
computer. You can identify this pathname by finding the SSI_ETC logical in the Surpac Navigator and
expanding it.
Command alias
A command alias is a system that provides a mechanism for you to rename commands in Surpac to
something that you find more suitable or easier to remember. It is often quicker for experienced Surpac
users to make use of these short cut alias names than it is to type the full command name or find the
function on a menu or toolbar.
Command aliases are defined in a text file with a set syntax. First, the alias name is given, enclosed in
double quotes, followed by any amount of white space, and then the actual command name, enclosed
in double quotes. An extract from the distributed short.mst alias file follows:
Page 11 of 89
"2DG" "2D GRID"

"2DT" "2D TRANSFORM"
"3DG" "3D GRID"
"3DT" "3D TRANSFORMATION"
"ATP" "ADD TO PERIOD"
"AR" "ADD RIG"
"AB" "APPLY BOUNDARY"
"AII" "ARC ARC INTERSECT"
"AD" "AUDIT DATABASE"
"BS" "BASIC STATISTICS"
"BD" "BEARING AND DISTANCE"
"BR" "BENCH REPORT"
Tip: When defining alias names that clash, the last one Surpac reads is the one that takes
precedence. There is no warning message for a duplicate name so be careful when writing your alias
file.
As well as allowing you to rename existing commands, the alias system also allows you to define new
command names that you can associate with your Tcl/Scl scripts. For example, if you have defined two
scripts, one to import a csv file and load into a database table, and another to export a database table to
a csv file, you can create keyboard commands that will run these scripts. The following alias file defines
two new commands import_csv and export_csv to run macros stored in the MY_WORK: logical.
"IMPORT_CSV" “MACRO:MY_WORK:IMPORT_CSV"
"EXPORT_CSV" “MACRO:MY_WORK:EXPORT_CSV"
Later you will learn how to attach these two scripts to menus.
Note: The keyword MACRO: is used in the path above. This keyword tells Surpac that it is not
mapping to an internal Surpac command but instead is going to run a Tcl script that is stored on the
hard disk. Notice the use of the logical MY_WORK: which will map to the actual directory path where
the macro is stored. This logical is assumed to be previously defined in logicals.ssi.
Surpac allows you to specify up to nine alias files.
To define an alias file in Surpac, choose Customise > Default Preference, select the Alias files folder and
enter the name of your alias file including any logical or physical directory name.
Page 12 of 89
Task: Create a command alias

1. Open ConTEXT.
3. Type the following line.
puts “Hello Surpac - this is my first script”
Note: Make sure you type exactly as shown, taking care with upper and lower case letters.
5. Navigate to the current work directory, and type hello.tcl for the file name, then click Save.
7. Now create a new command alias definition called HELLO that will run the script created in steps
2 and 3. Your alias definition in the editor should look as follows:
“HELLO” “MACRO:MY_WORK:hello.tcl”
Note: The MY_WORK: logical is the logical name created in the previous task. Using the
logical name as part of the alias definition means that the command will work from any
directory. If you do not use a logical the macro will work only if the current work directory is the
one the macro is stored in.
9. Leave the location as the current work directory, and type myCommands.txt for the file name,
then click Save.
Page 13 of 89
Logicals, command aliases, and hotkeys Keymaps
10. In Surpac, choose Customise > Default preferences. Then enter the full pathname to the alias
file you have created in steps 6 to 9.
11. Exit Surpac and then restart.
12. In the Function choose, type HELLO.
You should see the following output in the message window:
Hello Surpac - this is my first script
Tip: When defining alias commands to run scripts it is safer to make use of logicals as in the
example above.
Keymaps
The keymaps file is a historical file used in earlier versions of Surpac to map the keyboard keys to
characters. In Surpac, the only real purpose of the file is to define actions associated with the function
keys. You can use the keymaps file to define your own hotkeys to run scripts that you have written.
Using the csv example from the previous discussion of the alias, the following keymaps.ssi file extract
shows how to define hot keys on the F7 and F8 keys to run the import/export csv scripts.
"f7" FUNCTION "MACRO:MY_WORK:IMPORT_CSV"

"f8" FUNCTION "MACRO:MY_WORK:EXPORT_CSV"
Tip: When defining hot keys the key name must be in lowercase characters (for example, f10 not
F10).
Task: Create a hotkey

Note: This task assumes you performed the Create a command alias task in the previous section.
1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Choose File > Open, and open SSI_ETC:keymaps.ssi.
3. Scroll down and locate the section that defines the F1 through F10 keys.
4. Define a hotkey F11 to run the hello.tcl script by inserting a new line as follows:
“f11” FUNCTION “MACRO:MY_WORK:hello.tcl”
Note: The MY_WORK: section is the logical name created in a previous task. Using the logical
name as part of the hotkey definition means that the command will work from any directory.
Otherwise the hotkey would work only if the macro is saved in the current work directory.
4. If you are running Surpac, exit and then restart.
5. Press F11.
You should see the following output in the message window:
Hello Surpac - this is my first script
Page 14 of 89
Creating menus and toolbars Invoking the menu and toolbar editor tool
Creating menus and toolbars

To customise Surpac you can reorganise the menu bars and toolbars to have the functions that you
frequently use in the most accessible positions. As you develop macro scripts to automate your daily
activities you can also make them available from menus and toolbars. After you work out and
implement your preferred layout, you can save these customisations to a user profile and work within
this profile.
A profile is a named set of customised menus and toolbars. Surpac distributes a number of predefined
profiles and using the technique described in this chapter you can make any number of personalised
profiles.
Invoking the menu and toolbar editor tool

The process of creating menus can be done entirely within Surpac and does not require any manual
editing of text files. You access the form on which you modify the menus and toolbars by choosing
Customise > Customise menus/toolbars.
Page 15 of 89
Creating menus and toolbars Creating your own menu items
Task: Creating a menu from system menu items

1. Choose Customise > Customise menus/toolbars.
2. Under User Menus/Toolbars, select the Menubars item.
3. Click New.
A new menu item is created and named Menubar_1.
4. Click to highlight Menubar_1.
5. Click Edit.
6. Type the new name MyMenubar.
7. Press ENTER to accept your new name.
Notes:
 You can attach any existing menu tree to this new menu using the copy and paste buttons.
 The New, Edit, Copy, and Paste functions are also available on the shortcut menu, when you
right-click in this form.
Task: Copy and paste an existing menu

1. Find the menu tree (for example, Display) that you want to copy and highlight it.
2. Click Copy.
3. Highlight MyMenuBar.
4. Click Paste.
The Display menu is added to MyMenuBar.
Creating your own menu items

Task: Create menu items
1. Click to highlight MyMenuBar.
2. Click New.
This creates a new menu called Menu_1.
3. Click to highlight Menu_1.
4. Click Edit.
5. Type the new name MyMenu.
6. Press ENTER.
7. The new item MyMenu is now an empty drop down menu.
8. Click to highlight MyMenu.
9. Click New.
10. Click the highlight the new menu item.
Page 16 of 89
Creating menus and toolbars Creating your own menu items
11. Click Edit.

12. Rename the menu to something sensible for the functions you want to put in the menu.
13. Repeat steps 8 to 12 to create as many more menu items as you require.
You can then attach any number of menu items to your new menu, including other sub menus. When
you click on a menu branch and click New, the Create Menu Item form is displayed.
Fields on the Create Menu Item form

Input Description
Item Category Item – Invokes a Surpac function or specified Tcl script.

Label – Information text to appear as a label to a group of functions on the
menu.
Separator – An etched bar to separate unrelated menu items.
Radio – A special purpose toggle button.
Submenu – Links a further menu to the current one.
Label The text to appear on the menu for this item.
Type Function runs an internal Surpac function; CMD/TCL Script runs a macro
script.
Command If you chose Function for the Type, the name of the internal Surpac
function. If you chose CMD/TCL Script for the Type, the full path name to
the Tcl script.
Note: You should use logicals not physical paths for the location of the
scripts.
Image A 24x24 pixel gif image that will appear as part of the menu label.
Page 17 of 89
Creating menus and toolbars Creating a custom toolbar
Creating a custom toolbar

Task: Create a custom toolbar
1. Under the User Menus/Toolbars, select the Toolbars item.
2. Click New.
A new toolbar item is created and named Toolbar_1.
3. Click to highlight Toolbar_1.
4. Click Edit.
5. Type the new name MyToolbar.
6. Press ENTER.
Notes:
 You can attach any existing toolbar button to your new toolbar using the Copy and Paste
buttons.
 You can only paste toolbar buttons to the actual toolbar; toolbars are not hierarchical like
menus.
Task: Create a custom button to put onto a toolbar

1. Click to highlight MyToolBar.
2. Click New.
The Create Toolbar Item form is displayed.
3. Fill in the Create Toolbar Item form as shown, and click Apply.
Fields on the Create Toolbar Item form
Page 18 of 89
Creating menus and toolbars Summary
Input Description
Item Category Item – Invokes a software function or specified Tcl script.

Toggle – A special purpose button that acts as a toggle.
Separator – An etched bar to separate buttons into groups.
Type Function runs an internal Surpac function; CMD/TCL Script runs a macro
script.
Command If you chose Function for the Type, the name of the internal Surpac
function. If you chose CMD/TCL Script for the Type, the full path name to
the Tcl script.
You should use a logicals not a physical paths for the location of the
scripts.
Image A 24x24 pixel gif image that will appear as part of the menu label.
Tool Tip Some descriptive text that describes the function of the button.
Tips:
 Icons that you link in with your buttons using the Image item are optimal at 24X24 pixel icon.
This is the standard for Surpac toolbar icons.
 Toolbar buttons are far more effective when there is an associated ToolTip that will be displayed
when the mouse pointer is positioned over the button.
Summary
In this chapter you have been introduced to the toolbar and menubar editor. You were shown how to
create both menubars and toolbars. You should now know how to:
 cut and paste items between menus and toolbars
 create menu items

 create toolbar buttons
Page 19 of 89
Recording tasks in a Tcl script Macro record
Recording tasks in a Tcl script

You will repeat most tasks that you perform in Surpac daily, weekly, or monthly. You can record these
tasks to a script so that a series of tasks are recorded for you to play back later. The scripting language is
quite flexible, which means you can edit your recorded scripts to make them more suitable to the way
you want to use them.
Macro record
The act of recording a series of steps that you perform in Surpac is a very simple operation. You just
need to click a button to start recording a macro, and then click that same button to finish recording.
When you start recording a macro you will be prompted to enter a name for the .tcl file. You can use a
new name to create a new file, or use an existing name to record over an existing script.
Task: Record a macro

1. Press Start/end recording an SCL script .
Note: You can also start recording a script by pressing F4.
The Macro Record form is displayed.
2. Type the name that you want to use for the macro, and click Apply.
A message is written to the message window stating that recording has started.
3. Perform the tasks you want to record.
4. Press Start/end recording an SCL script .

5. You can also stop recording a script by pressing F5.
A message is written to the message window stating that recording has ended.
Page 20 of 89
Recording tasks in a Tcl script Macro playback
Macro playback
Task: Playback the macro
After you have recorded your tasks, you will want to play them back.
1. Click Playback/abort a macro or SCL script .

You can also playback a macro by pressing F6.
Note: The ten fields to Define arguments for macro are provided for backward
compatibility with the superseded V3.2 macro language.
2. Click the Filename drop down to select the macro you want to play, and click Apply.
Task: Run a script without the macro playback form

You can also run a macro by double-clicking the .tcl file in the Navigator, or by dragging the .tcl file from
the Navigator into Graphics.
Page 21 of 89
Recording tasks in a Tcl script Structure of a Tcl macro
Structure of a Tcl macro

If you run a macro using the same data, it will always achieve the same result. Usually, you will want
your macros to be able to act upon any data set that you provide. To be able to modify a macro to be
able to work on any nominated data set you need to have an understanding of the structure of a
recorded macro script.
Below is an example of a simple macro that recorded the CREATE DTM function in Surpac.
######################################################################
#
# Macro Name : c:/users/public/geovia/surpac/66/demo_data/createdtm.tcl
#
# Version : Surpac 6.6
#
# Creation Date :
#
# Description :
#
######################################################################
set status [ SclFunction "CREATE DTM" {

frm00126={
{
location="DATA:pit"
break="Y"
bdyloc=""
interpolate_new_points="N"
bdystr="1"
spotrng=""
object_num="1"
obj_name=""
check_distance="0.0050"
anyspots="N"
inout="I"
brktest="Y"
apply_boundary="N"
interpolate_new_points_distance="50"
}
}
}]
A recorded macro will always contain a header block at the top. This section of the script is non-
functional but describes the script name, version of Surpac that created it and the date recorded. There
is also a section for a description of the script. It is good practice to insert some comments about the
purpose of, or how to use, the use of the macro. This will make it easier if you or someone else ever
needs to modify the macro later.
The header block makes use of the Tcl comment character hash (#). If the first non-blank character on
the line is a hash then the Tcl interpreter ignores everything afterwards. You can include comments
throughout your scripts by adding lines that start with a hash. It is also good practice to include
comments through your script to describe what is happening at different points, especially for large
macros.
Page 22 of 89
Following the header block are the actual functions that you performed while recording the macro. The
previous example shows how a Surpac function is recorded making use of the Scl extension command
SclFunction.
The SclFunction command takes two parameters, the Surpac function name and then any extra
information that is required by that particular function grouped by curly braces. A function that includes
interaction with a form will always be recorded with the form identifier (in the case above, frm00126)
followed by a list of the fields on the form and their entered values.
You don’t interact with all Surpac functions using forms. Some functions just require you to click the
appropriate button. For example, ZOOM ALL as shown in the following.
######################################################################
#
# Macro Name : c:/users/public/geovia/surpac/66/demo_data/2_zoom_all.tcl
#
#
# Creation Date :
#
# Description :
#######################################################################
set status [ SclFunction "ZOOM ALL" {} ]
Other functions can be graphical in nature, and need you to input information using the mouse pointer.
For example, IDENTIFY POINT as shown in the following example.
######################################################################
#
# Macro Name : c:/users/public/geovia/surpac/66/demo_data/3_identify_point.tcl
#
#
# Creation Date :
#
# Description :
#######################################################################
set status [ SclFunction "IDENTIFY POINT" {

select_point={
{
winx="0.042"
winy="0.205"
objectx="1735.376"
objecty="7425.533"
objectz="65.564"
snap_projection="off"
}
}
}]
Page 23 of 89
When you record a graphical function that consists of more than one point selection, the format of the
script is a little different to the previous example. The example below shows how the BEARING AND
DISTANCE function uses a tabular format to record the selected in a macro.
######################################################################
#
# Macro Name : c:/users/public/geovia/surpac/66/demo_data/4_bearing_and_distance.tcl
#
#
# Creation Date :
#
# Description :
#
######################################################################
set status [ SclFunction "BEARING AND DISTANCE" {

digitise_point=table { winx winy objectx objecty objectz snap_projection } {
{ "-0.137" "-0.212" "1624.839" "7288.399" "45.462" "off" }
{ "0.090" "0.205" "1765.296" "7425.533" "75.518" "off" }
}
}]
In Surpac 6 and later versions, a new style of function has been introduced that does not contain the
traditional form structure. The way that these functions appear in a macro is shown in the following
example, using the OPEN FILE function.
######################################################################
#
# Macro Name : c:/users/public/geovia/surpac/66/demo_data/5_open_file.tcl
#
#
# Creation Date :
#
# Description :
#
######################################################################
set status [ SclFunction "OPEN FILE" {

layer="main graphics layer"
location="DATA:pit1.str"
plugin="Surpac String Files"
Surpac={
IDRange=""
range=""
descriptions="true"
}
styles="ssi_styles:styles.ssi"
replace="true"
rescale="true"
}]
Page 24 of 89
Recording tasks in a Tcl script SclFunction
SclFunction
The SclFunction command is a Surpac extension that provides the mechanics of invoking a function
from within your script. A call to the SclFunction command is recorded automatically by Surpac and it
would be unusual that you would ever hand code one.
Syntax
SclFunction FunctionName FunctionParameters
Where
FunctionName is the name of the Surpac function to execute, enclosed in double quotes
FunctionParameters are any further information that the Surpac function requires to run,
enclosed in curly braces
Return Values
Returns either the Scl constant SCL_OK, if the function ran correctly, or SCL_ERROR , if the
function failed to run, or did not run correctly
An example of SclFunction as recorded in a Surpac script

set status [ SclFunction "ZOOM ALL" {} ]
The function returns a value that will be stored in a variable called status. The status variable can then
be checked for success or failure. A later chapter will provide you with the skills to do check variables to
assess success or failure of a script.
Note: When recording macros, movements you perform with the mouse are not recorded. The
graphics viewer does not interface with the macro system. This means you cannot record things like
rotating data using the mouse. If you want to rotate data in your macro script, you can use the following
functions that are available from View > Rotate image submenu:
 Orbit up
 Orbit down
 Orbit left
 Orbit right
 Roll left
 Roll right
Task: Record a script to rotate data

1. Click Start/end recording an SCL script.
2. In the Filename field type 06_rotate_data, and click Apply.
3. Choose File > Open > String/DTM File.
Page 25 of 89
Recording tasks in a Tcl script Using the _action switch
4. Click the Location drop-down and select pit1.str.

5. Rotate the data in Graphics to any view you like.
7. Click Playback/abort a macro or SCL script.
8. Click the Filename drop-down, select 06_rotate_data.tcl, and then click Apply.
Did the data return to the same view as when you recorded the script? Remember you must use the
view functions on the View > Rotate image submenu and not the mouse to rotate, or otherwise
change the view of the data.
Using the _action switch

You can modify your script so that when you play it back you can view and interact with the forms. This
allows you to change values on the forms, or to select points in Graphics at appropriate places when
playing your macros. To achieve this you will use the _action switch.
In the following example the CREATE DTM function has been modified in the macro to display the form
when the macro is played.

frm00126={
{
_action="display"
location="DATA:pit"
break="Y"
bdyloc=""
interpolate_new_points="N"
bdystr="1"
spotrng=""
id="1"
check_distance="0.0050"
anyspots="N"
swadesc="Y"
bdyid="0"
inout="I"
brktest="Y"
apply_boundary="N"
interpolate_new_points_distance="50"
}
}
}]
The _action switch has two possible settings:

 _action="display" – This displays the form during playback and allows you to change fields and
settings on the form during macro playback.
 _action="apply" – This applies the form without displaying it, using the parameters recorded in
the macro.
Notes:
Page 26 of 89
 You must use the double quotes surrounding the keywords to the right of the equal.
 The _action switch has no effect on the new style functions, such as OPEN FILE.
Another feature of the SclFunction command is that all of the parameters for fields on a form that are
not defined in your macro will take on the default value for that field when the macro plays. This stops
macros from crashing if there is a field that is not set for a function. So if in a later release of Surpac a
new field is added to a form, your macro will continue to work, using the default value for the new field.
For example, if your macro for CREATE DTM only included then fields for the location of the string file,
as shown in the following, the function would still run on playback with all of the other fields on the
form taking on default values.

frm00126={
{
_action="apply"
location="DATA:pit1"
}
}
}]
Task: Record a script to create a DTM

2. In the Filename field type 08_create_dtm_task, and click Apply.
3. Choose Surfaces > DTM File Functions > Create DTM from String file.
4. Enter the information as shown, and click Apply.
Page 27 of 89

6. Click Playback/abort a macro or SCL script.
7. Click the Filename drop-down, select 08_create_dtm_task.tcl, and click Apply.
Notice that the Create DTM form is not displayed.
8. Right-click on 08_create_dtm_task.tcl in the Navigator.
9. From the shortcut menu, choose Edit.
10. Insert an _action=”display” switch.
11. Choose File > Save.
12. Drag 08_create_dtm.tcl into Graphics.
Notice the Create DTM form now displays. You could choose to change the string file name that
you use when you run the script.
13. Open ConTEXT.
14. Choose File > Open.
15. Navigate the working directory, select 08_create_dtm_task.tcl, and click Open.
16. Edit the script so that it appears as in the code snippet on page 26.
Page 28 of 89
Recording tasks in a Tcl script Summary
18. In Surpac, click Playback/abort a macro or SCL script.

19. Click the Filename drop-down, select 08_create_dtm_task.tcl, and click Apply.
Does the script still work?
There are times when you will want to select points graphically when you are running a macro. For
example this could be to inspect the properties of a point using the IDENTIFY POINT function. The
_action=”display” switch can be used to achieve this as is shown in the example below.
set status [ SclFunction "IDENTIFY POINT" {

_action=”display”
}]
Task: Record a script to perform inquire point

1. Open pit1.str.
3. In the Filename field type 09_inquire_point, and click Apply.
4. Use the menu option Inquire > Point Properties and then select any number of points in
Graphics.
6. Drag 09_inquire_point.tcl into Graphics.
Notice that it always selects the same points.
7. Open ConTEXT.
8. Choose File > Open.
9. Navigate to the working directory, select 09_inquire_point.tcl, and click Open.
10. Insert the _action=”display” switch as shown in the example above.
12. In Surpac, drag 09_inquire_point.tcl into Graphics.
You are now prompted to select the points when the script is run.
Summary
In this chapter you learnt how to record macro scripts and how to play them back. You were introduced
to the SclFunction command, and you were shown how to use the _action switch to make your macros
more interactive and useful.
Page 29 of 89
Some required Tcl basics to get working What is Tcl?
Some required Tcl basics to get working

The Tcl language has a simple syntax. After you understand some basic concepts you will be able to use
the language to produce good quality solutions. The concepts that you will need to master are;
 storing information in variables
 grouping
 variable and command substitution
What is Tcl?
Tcl is both a scripting language and an interpreter. As a scripting language, Tcl provides you with a
standard syntax, variables, flow control, and procedures. It is an extensible language that allows third
parties to add their own functionality.
As an interpreter, Tcl can be embedded into an application such as Surpac. Many other software
vendors worldwide have also adopted Tcl as an embedded scripting language. The function of the
interpreter is to process scripts line by line to produce a result.
Tcl is public domain software that is freely available and can be used in commercial applications. It is
available on a number of platforms including Windows NT/98/2000/Vista/7, Unix varieties, and
Macintosh.
What is Scl?
Scl commands are extensions to the Tcl interpreter that give you great flexibility in your scripts to
manipulate both the externals and internals of Surpac. Using Scl commands, you can:
 load string and DTM data into graphics layers

 insert, modify, and delete point and triangle data within graphics layers
 create graphics layers and control viewport selection
 manipulate active layers
 create user forms using the Guido toolkit components
These tools allow you to create new functions within Surpac that appear as though they are intrinsic
Surpac functions.
Although there are a large number of Scl commands at your disposal, you will usually use only a small
subset of them. To inspect the Scl command documentation, open the Surpac help on the Table of
Contents, and choose Surpac Concepts, then Macros, then SCL.
Page 30 of 89
Some required Tcl basics to get working Tcl Syntax
Tcl Syntax
The language syntax used to write Tcl is quite simple. A generic statement in Tcl would be;
Syntax
command parameter1 parameter2 …
Where
Command is the name of a Tcl internal command or defined procedure
Parameter1, and all subsequent parameters, are optional
Note: The parameters that you define for a command will depend on the requirements of the
command.
Commands and parameters are separated by white space. The end of line signifies the end of the
command’s arguments. If the command and arguments run over two or more lines, use a backslash
character (\) to continue the command over onto the next line. You can insert comments in Tcl by using
the hash character (#) as the first non-white-space character on a line.
Commands
Everything that causes the Tcl interpreter to do something is a command. Each new line in a Tcl script
begins with a command. Commands can have optional parameters; the number and type of parameters
depend on the specified command.
Two commands that you will use frequently are the set and put commands.
set
The set command is used to create variables in your script. A variable is simply a named location in
memory used to store information. Think of a variable as a bucket that contains something
(information) with a label on the front (its name) that you can use to identify it from other buckets. The
syntax for set is as follows.
Syntax
set varName value
Where
varName is the name you want to call the variable
value is the value assigned to the variable
Examples
set tableName assay
set dip 49.5
set sectionName temp_sec
Page 31 of 89
Some required Tcl basics to get working Variables and substitution
puts
The puts command is used to print messages to the Surpac message window. It takes one argument,
which is the message to print.
Syntax
puts message
Where
message is the text and/or variables to print to the message window
Example
puts “Hello Surpac user”
puts “The DB table being reported is $tableName”
Variables and substitution

Variables are named containers (buckets) that hold information that is required at some stage when the
script is being processed. The action of accessing the information stored in the variable is called variable
substitution or variable de-referencing.
Variables are defined by the set command as follows:
set sectionNumber “6800”
To substitute a variable for the information contained within it, prefix the name of the variable with the
dollar character ($). The following example outputs the of the variable sectionNumber to the message
window
puts “The current section is $sectionNumber”
Executing this command in Surpac results in the following text being displayed in the message window:
The current section is 6800
Page 32 of 89
Some required Tcl basics to get working Grouping constructs
Grouping constructs
The previous example demonstrated the first grouping construct. Double quotation marks (“ ”) are used
to group string tokens together and have them treated as one autonomous object.
The puts command (as used in the example) expects one argument, the text to write to the message
window. If the double quotes were not used in the example, puts would be given six parameters instead
of one, because white space is used to separate parameters.
The other grouping construct used in Tcl is curly braces ({ }). The difference between curly braces and
double quotes as grouping constructs is that double quotes permit variable substitution, and further
command processing, and curly braces do not.
If we change the puts example to use curly braces then
set sectionNumber “6800”
puts {The current section is $sectionNumber}
Will result in the following being written in the message window.
The current section is $sectionNumber
Command substitution
Only the first token encountered on a line is treated as a Tcl command. Sometimes you will have to
execute another Tcl command as part of an original Tcl command. This will become obvious in examples
later in this tutorial.
To execute a command as part of another command you enclose the secondary command in square
brackets ([ ]). Whenever you want to get the result of a command and use it as a parameter to another
command you use square brackets.
set drillholeId “rc0001”
puts “Drill Hole ID = [string toupper $drillholeid]”
This will result in the message below being written to the message window.
Drill Hole ID = RC0001
Note: The “string toupper” command used in the previous example will be explained in a later topic
in this tutorial.
Another example:
set number 100
set new_number [expr $number * 10]
puts “The new number is $new_number”
This will result in the message below being written to the message window.
The new number is 1000
Page 33 of 89
Some required Tcl basics to get working Summary
Note: The “expr” command used in the previous example will be explained in a later topic in this
tutorial.
Summary
In this chapter you learnt some Tcl basics in the areas of:
 syntax
 variables
 variable substitution
 grouping using double quotes and curly braces
 command substitution.
You should now be able to record scripts and make useful adjustments to the scripts.
Page 34 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts Guido
Creating user forms for scripts

The Guido (Graphical User Interface Design Objects) toolkit provides you with a set of commands to
interact with a user and get them to enter input to use in Tcl scripts. The general Guido object is the
GuidoForm that can contain a number of other Guido widget and container objects. There are two Scl
commands that you must use in order to create and display a Guido form in Surpac. These are
SclCreateGuidoForm and SclRun.
Guido
Guido commands are Surpac extensions to the Tcl interpreter.
There are two types of GUIDO commands, Guido container objects and Guido widgets. A Guido
container object consists of other Guido objects. A container can contain other containers, widgets, or
both other containers and widgets. A container object is used to organise the layout and appearance of
your form. A Guido widget is an object that is used to retrieve information from a user.
Common Guido container and widget objects
Guido Containers Guido Widgets
GuidoForm GuidoField
GuidoPanel GuidoComboBox
GuidoScrollPane GuidoCheckBox
GuidoTable GuidoRadioButton
GuidoTabbedPane GuidoButtonGroupPanel
GuidoFileBrowserField
Page 35 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts Guido command syntax
Guido command syntax

Each Guido command has the same syntax. The general command syntax for Guido is:
Syntax
GuidoCommand name commandBody
Where
GuidoCommand is the name of the actual Guido command
name is the name you have assigned to the Guido command (like a variable name)
Note: This name will be used to reference the command later to retrieve data that is entered
into it.
commandBody is enclosed in braces and will contain all switches used to define the look of the
Guido widget or container on the form
Note: If the command is a Guido container, the other Guido commands will also be contained
within these braces.
Page 36 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts Guido command switches
Guido command switches

Every Guido command allows one or more switches to define default behaviours for the object.
Fortunately most of the switches are common to all objects so you don’t have to learn a different set for
each object.
Common switches for Guido widget commands
Switch Description
-label Specify a label for the object

-width Specify the width of the field in characters
-height Specify the character height of the object
-default Specify a default value for the widget
-format Place a data type validation on the widget which can be:
none – no formatting
double – allow a number with a fraction
integer – allow a whole number only
(no fractions)
range – a valid Surpac range
(That is, 1,10,2 or 1000,2000,50)
string_field – x y z d1 d2 d3 ...
decimal_angle – 0 to 360 degrees
dms_angle – ddd.mmsss. For example, 45.2059.
colour – colour name or rgb format (For example,
r=1.0,g=0.5,b=0.0)
-high_bound Specify the highest value that the widget is to allow to be
entered
-low_bound Specify the lowest value that the widget is to allow to be
entered
-null Specify if the widget is allowed to have no value. Can be true or
false
-translate Specify if any translation is to occur on character entered in the
widget. Can be none | upper | lower | mixed
-input Determines if the widget can accept input. Can be true or false
-dependency Make the object depend on the value of another widget
Note: See the Surpac Help for a full list of all the switches available and examples of how to use them.
Page 37 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoForm
GuidoForm
The GuidoForm command is used to define a form that will contain any number of containers and
widgets.
Switches particular to GuidoForms
Switch Description
-default_buttons Place the standard Apply, Cancel and Help buttons on the form
-defaults_key <name> Interface into the defaults management system to remember

entries made on the form
Example
GuidoForm form {
-label “An Example Form”
-default_buttons
-defaults_key abc_mines
# insert other guido objects here
}
SclCreateGuidoForm
The SclCreateGuidoForm function will turn a Guido form definition into a computer representation in
memory, so that it is ready to be displayed on the screen.
Syntax
SclCreateGuidoForm FormHandle FormDefinition Body
Where
FormHandle is a named variable that you use to make reference to the created form
FormDefinition is usually the variable name that contains the actual form definition
For example, $myForm. It can also be the name of an external file that contains the definition
prefixed with the at character (@). For example, @section_form.tcl.
Body is the command body
It can contain statements to set default values for form fields. It is usually a pair of curly braces {}.
Return Values
SCL_OK if the function creates the form object with no error
SCL_ERROR if something goes wrong
Example
An example that will create a form from the definition stored in a Tcl variable named sectionForm.
SclCreateGuidoForm form_handle $section_form {}
Page 38 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts SclRun
An example that will create a form from the definition stored within a file called gradecontrol.frm.
SclCreateGuidoForm form_handle @gradecontrol.frm {}
SclRun
The SclRun command will display and execute a Guido form that has previously been created with the
SclCreateGuidoFormCommand.
Syntax
FormHandle SclRun Body
Where
FormHandle is the named variable that you use to reference the form created with the
SclCreateGuidoForm command
Body is the command body can contain extra statements
It is usually enclosed by a pair of curly braces {}.
Return Values
Example
$section_form SclRun {}
The SclRun command creates a Tcl variable for each Guido widget defined on the form except if the user
clicks the Cancel button. The variables created use the same name as was defined for each Guido widget
in the form definition.
A special variable with the name _status is created by the SclRun command with a value that represents
the button that was clicked to dismiss the form. For example, if the Apply button is clicked, _status will
have the value apply. Whereas, if the Cancel button is clicked, _status will have the value cancel.
The following example code segment allows you to test to see if the user clicked Cancel, and, if so, to
exit the script gracefully.
$grade_control_form SclRun {}
if {“$_status” == “cancel”} {
return
}
Note: The “if” statement and “return” statement are discussed in topics later in this tutorial.
Page 39 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts Tying Guido together with the Scl form functions
Tying Guido together with the Scl form functions

The previous section discussed the GuidoForm, SclCreateGuidoForm, and SclRun functions. The
following task will show you how to combine these functions together to display a form on the screen.
Task: Create your first form

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 10_create_first_form.tcl.
3. Copy and paste, or type, the text exactly as in the following.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "My First Form"
-default_buttons
-defaults_key “my_form”
}
}
SclCreateGuidoForm form_handle $form_def {}

$form_handle SclRun {}
Note: The actual form definition is stored into a Tcl variable called form_def. This is the usual
way to define a form, but you can also define a form in an external file, and then specify the
external file to SclCreateGuidoForm command using the at character (@). The following code
sample shows what you would write to create a form using a definition stored in a file called
my_form.tcl.
SclCreateGuidoForm form_handle @my_form.tcl {}

5. In Surpac, drag 10_create_first_fom.tcl into Graphics.
You will see the following.
Page 40 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoField
GuidoField
A GuidoField is the most common Guido widget you will use. It will accept input that the user will type
at the keyboard. It can contain all the various switches described previously to setup labels, field widths,
and validation criteria.
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoField

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 11_create_form_with_guido_field.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "GuidoField Form"
-default_buttons
GuidoField number {
-label "Enter a real number"
-format double
-width 10
-low_bound 0
-high_bound 100
-null false
}
}
}
puts “The number is $number”

5. In Surpac, drag 11_create_form_with_guido_field.tcl into Graphics.
6. Type a number outside the range 0 to 100, and click Apply.

The following message is written to the message window:
Warning: Validation of field ‘Enter a real number’ failed
Warning: Value is greater than high bound 100.0
Page 41 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoField
The form will not apply if the number does not fit the validation criteria that were set in the
definition.
7. Type a number inside the range 0 and 100, and click Apply.
Because of the final line of the script using the ‘puts’ command the message, The number is
80, is written to the message window.
Page 42 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoComboBox
GuidoComboBox
A GuidoComboBox is similar to a field. The difference is that you can provide a set of values that the
user can choose from, as a drop-down list. GuidoComboBoxes can be exclusive or non-exclusive.
Exclusive combo boxes allow only an entry from the list, non-exclusive combo boxes allow the user to
enter any value, so long as it meets the validation criteria.
Any of the switches described previously can be used on a GuidoComboBox. There are also some
special switches that can only be used with combo boxes.
Switches that are available only for combo boxes
Switch Description
-exclusive If true, only values from the list can be selected. If false, any
value will only allow values to be selected from the list
otherwise any text can be entered
-value_in Specify a list of space separated values. If a particular value
contains spaces then enclose it in double quotes
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoComboBox

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 12_create_form_with_combo_box.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "GuidoComboBox Form"
-default_buttons
GuidoComboBox plot_size {
-label "Select the plot size"
-width 10
-null false
-exclusive true
-value_in A0 A1 A2 A3 A4
}
}
}

puts “The plot size is $plot_size”

5. In Surpac, drag 12_create_form_with_combo_box.tcl into Graphics.
Page 43 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoComboBox
6. Type a value that was not in the list and press Apply.
Because you set exclusive to true, the form cannot be applied with a value other than those
available in the drop-down list.
Page 44 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoCheckBox
GuidoCheckBox
A GuidoCheckBox is a widget that is used to select one of two possible states, for example, yes/no,
on/off up/down. When the check box is selected it will return the text true and when cleared it will
return the text false. These default values can be changed using switches.
Switches you can use with GuidoCheckBox
Switch Description
-caption Specify some text to appear with the checkbox component

-caption_placement Specify where to place the caption, this can be left or right
-selected_value Specify a value to return when selected
-unselected_value Specify a value to return when cleared
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoCheckBox

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 13_create_form_with_check_box.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "GuidoCheckBox Form"
-default_buttons
GuidoCheckBox save_on_exit {
-label "Save file on exit"
-height 1
-caption yes
-selected_value yes
-unselected_value no
}
}
}

puts “Save on exit $save_on_exit”

5. In Surpac, drag 13_create_form_with_check_box.tcl.
Page 45 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoCheckBox
6. Select the check box, and click Apply.

Save on exit Yes is written to the message window.
Tip: If you specify –height 1 when you define your check box, the box will line up correctly with its
label.
Page 46 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoRadioButton and GuidoButtonGroupPanel
GuidoRadioButton and GuidoButtonGroupPanel

A GuidoRadioButton is similar to a check box. It is also used to select one of two possible states. When
the radio button is selected it will return the text true, and when cleared it will return the text false.
These default values can be changed using switches.
Switches you can use with GuidoRadioButton and GuidoButtonGroupPanel
Switch Description
-caption Specify text to appear with the checkbox

-caption_placement Specify position of the caption (left or right)
-selected_value Specify a value to return when selected
-unselected_value Specify a value to return when cleared
The real power of radio buttons is that they can be combined together within a
GuidoButtonGroupPanel. When they are combined only one of the buttons defined within the group
maybe selected at any time, like an old fashioned car radio.
A button group panel is unusual in that it is both a container and a widget. Its value becomes that of the
selected radio button within it after the form is applied.
Task: Create a form with GuidoRadioButtons and GuidoButtonGroupPanel

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 14_create_form_radio_buttons_and_panel.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "GuidoButtonGroup Form"
-default_buttons
GuidoButtonGroupPanel section_direction {
-label "Section direction"
GuidoRadioButton button1 {
-caption "North"
-height 1
-selected_value "north"
}
GuidoRadioButton button2 {
-caption "South"
-height 1
-selected_value "south"
}
}
}
Page 47 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoRadioButton and GuidoButtonGroupPanel

puts “Section direction $section_direction”

5. In Surpac, drag 14_create_form_with_radio_buttons_and_panel.tcl into Graphics.
You can select only one button or the other, not both.
6. Select North, and click Apply.
Section direction north is written to the message window. The reference in the macro to
GuidoButtonGroup means the message will return with north or south depending on which
button you select.
Tip: If you specify –height 1 when you define your radio button, the button will line up correctly with
its label.
Page 48 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoFileBrowserField
GuidoFileBrowserField
A GuidoFileBrowserField is a special purpose widget that you can use to ask the user to type or select a
valid filename. The field looks like a combo box, and a user can type in a filename for the working
directory. However, if the user clicks on the drop-down arrow, a file chooser widget is invoked, which
allows the user to navigate within folders on their computer to select a file. There are a number of
switches associated with file browsers.
Switches you can use with file browsers
Switch Description
-file_access Specify the access of the selected file, this can be read, write, or
exist
-file_mask Specify a file mask, for example, *.* or *.tcl
-start_dir Specify a default directory to begin the browser in
-multiple_selection Specify that you wish to select more than one filename in the
browser
-link Link this field to another field that will contain the id part of the
filename when using location and id
-extension Specify if you want the file extension trimmed off the return
name, this can be true or false
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoFileBrowserField

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 15_create_form_with_file_browser_field.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "GuidoFileBrowserField Form"
-default_buttons
GuidoFileBrowserField csv_filename {
-label "Filename"
-width 25
-file_mask "*.csv *.txt"
-file_access read
-format none
-translate lower
-null false
}
}
}
Page 49 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoFileBrowserField
puts "File name is $csv_filename"

5. In Surpac, drag 15_create_form_with_file_browser_field.tcl into Graphics.
6. You will see the following.
7. Select the drop-down arrow to display the file browser as shown.
Page 50 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts GuidoLabel
GuidoLabel
A GuidoLabel is not a true widget but it does relate to the widgets, and it is appropriate to discuss how
to use it along with how to use widgets. A GuidoLabel is used to put a text or informational messages
onto your form to help users understand your macro.
Task: Create a form containing a GuidoLabel

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 16_create_form_with_guidolabel.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "Example Form"
-default_buttons
GuidoLabel info {
-label "Some information message"
}
}
}


5. In Surpac, drag 16_create_form_with_guidolabel.tcl into Graphics.
Page 51 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts Dependencies in Guido
Dependencies in Guido
Any Guido object can contain a dependency switch. A dependency will make a particular widget or
container dependent upon the value of another widget on the form. The effect of a dependency is to
turn the dependant object on or off. When Guido Widgets are turned off (that is, their dependency
condition is false) they appear greyed out. When GuidoPanels are turned off they become invisible as
does everything that is contained within them.
Task: Create a form with a dependency

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 17_create_form_with_dependency.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "Dependency Form"
-default_buttons
GuidoCheckBox plotting {
-label "Plot after processing?"
-caption yes
-selected_value yes
-unselected_value no
}
GuidoButtonGroupPanel plotSize {
-label "Plot size"
GuidoRadioButton radioButton1 {
-caption "A0 plot"
-height 1
-selected_value A0
-dependency {"[$plotting getCurrentValue]" == "yes"}
}
GuidoRadioButton radioButton2 {
-caption "A4 plot"
-height 1
-selected_value A4
-dependency {"[$plotting getCurrentValue]" == "yes"}
}
}
}
}

puts "Plotting $plotting ; Plot size $plotSize"

5. In Surpac, drag 17_create_form_with_dependency.tcl into Graphics.
Page 52 of 89
Creating user forms for scripts Summary
Note: When you select the check box the radio buttons for plot size will appear as normal,
when you clear the check box the radio buttons are greyed out.
Summary
In this chapter you were introduced to some of the Guido widgets that you can use to get input from the
user. You were shown how to turn your form definition into a computer representation using the
SclCreateGuidoForm function, and how to interact with the user using the SclRun function. You were
shown how to access the inputs made by users on a form.
Page 53 of 89
Automating a recorded script Summary
Automating a recorded script

After you are familiar with recording scripts and creating forms for users you will start to have ideas
about many areas that you could automate to make the software easier to use. By working through this
chapter you will apply the skills learnt earlier in the tutorial to automate a common string maths
operation.
Task: Automate a common string maths operation

The aim of this example is to automate the common task of using the string math function to adjust the
co-ordinates in a string file by a constant value. After you get the scrip to work correctly, to perform the
task, it is an easy process to modify it to perform any task in string maths.
1. In Surpac, click Start/end recording an SCL script.
2. In Filename, type 18_adjust_coordinates.
3. Choose File tools > String maths.
4. Enter the information as shown, and click Apply.
Page 54 of 89

6. Open ConTEXT.
7. Choose File > Open, and select 18_adjust_coordinates.tcl.
8. Edit the script so that it will produce the following form.
Note: You will need to use variables for the fields:

 in_location
 in_id
 out_location
 adjust_x
 adjust_y
 adjust_z
Page 55 of 89
All fields should have appropriate validation settings for format and nulls. The input location is a
file browser field linked to the id. Inserting the following form definition code at line 1 of the
script, prior to the recorded section, will produce this form.
set adjustCoordsForm {
GuidoForm adjustCoordsForm {
-label "Adjust Coordinates"
-default_buttons
GuidoFileBrowserField in_location {
-label "Input location"
-width 20
-format none
-null false
-file_mask "*.str"
-link in_id
}
GuidoField in_id {
-label "Id"
-format float
-null false
}
GuidoField out_location {
-label "Output location"
-width 20
-format none
-null false
}
GuidoField adjust_x {
-label "Adjust X"
-format float
-null false
-default 0
}
GuidoField adjust_y {
-label "Adjust Y"
-format float
-null false
-default 0
}
GuidoField adjust_z {
-label "Adjust Z"
-format float
-null false
-default 0
}
}
}
# create and display the form
SclCreateGuidoForm adjustCoordsFormHandle $adjustCoordsForm
{}
$adjustCoordsFormHandle SclRun {}
Page 56 of 89
The final step will remove the hard coded values as were saved into the SclFunction when you
recorded the macro, and replace them with the appropriate variables from the GuidoForm.
9. Edit the macro again and modify the SclFunction statement to look like the following.
# perform the conversion by calling string maths with the

form inputs
set status [ SclFunction "STR MATHS" {
frm00700={
{
file_loc="$in_location"
file_id="$in_id"
result_loc="$out_location"
main=table { str_range constraint field expr } {
{ "all" "" "x" "x+$adjust_x" }
{ "" "" "y" "y+$adjust_y" }
{ "" "" "z" "z+$adjust_z" }
}
}
}
}]
11. In Surpac, drag 19_adjust_coordinates.tcl into Graphics, and make sure it runs as expected.
Note: To test the completed macro, open pit1.str in Graphics, then drag the macro into
Graphics, and then drag the output file into Graphics. You should see that the new file is
‘shifted’ by the values that you entered on your form.
Summary
This application shows how easy it is to automate a mundane task that is performed regularly. It is far
easier to use the script than it is to remember the syntax required by the string maths function. You
could easily modify this script to perform another string maths function that you perform frequently.
Page 57 of 89
A better way to select points in graphics The SclSelectPoint function
A better way to select points in graphics

Earlier in this tutorial, you recorded graphical selections in a macro. This demonstrated how
cumbersome it can be to use the select point table of the SclFunction command. This topic will introduce
you to the SclSelectPoint extension function. You can use this function to select a point in Graphics and
have information about that point returned into Tcl variables.
The SclSelectPoint function

The SclSelectPoint function allows you to select any data point in the graphics window and have a
variety of information returned into variables for use in your script. You can retrieve the xyz values of
the point, its description fields, and the numbers of the string and segment it is contained in.
Syntax
SclSelectPoint handle prompt layer stringNo segNo pointNo x y z desc
Where
Handle is a returned reference variable that you can use to modify the selected point using other
Scl extension functions
Note: How to modify a selected point using other functions is not covered in this tutorial.
Prompt is any text that you want to appear on the screen to ask the user to select something
Layer is a variable into which the layer name of the selected point is returned
stringNo is a variable into which the string number of the selected point is returned
segNo is a variable into which the segment number of the selected point is returned
pntNo is a variable into which the point number of the selected point is returned
x y z are variables into which the x, y, and z coordinates of the selected point are returned
desc is a variable into which the entire description field of the selected point is returned
Return values
Returns either the Scl constant SCL_OK or SCL_ERROR depending on whether the script runs
successfully or fails
Task: A simple example to show usage

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 20_simple_select_point.tcl.
set status [SclSelectPoint point “Select a point” \

layer str_no seg_no pnt_no x y z desc]
puts “Layer=$layer, string=$str_no, segment=$seg_no, point=$pnt_no”
puts “X=$x, Y=$y, Z=$z”
Note: The backslash ( \ ) used on line 1 of the example is a continuation character to extend
line 1 onto line 2. In your example you can combine lines 1 and 2 onto the same line.
Page 58 of 89
A better way to select points in graphics Piping point data back into Surpac

2. In Surpac, open pit1.str in Graphics.
3. Drag 20_simple_select_point.tcl into Graphics.
4. Select a point.
Piping point data back into Surpac

You have already used a simple method that allowed you to select points in Graphics when playing back
a recorded macro by using the _action=”display” switch. While this works, it can be cumbersome
because certain graphical functions sit in a fast loop until the user presses ESC. By using the
SclSelectPoint function you can better handle macros that use functions that loop until they are
cancelled.
Task: Use SclSelectPoint and then pass xyz values back to Surpac
1. In Surpac, open pit1.str in Graphics.
3. In Filename, type 21_bearing_and_distance, and click Apply.
4. Choose Inquire > Bearing and distance between two points.
5. Choose two points in Graphics.
6. Press ESC.
8. Drag 21_bearing_and_distance.tcl into Graphics.
It performs the same bearing and distance calculation, then exits.
9. Open ConTEXT.
10. Choose File > Open, and select 21_bearing_and_distance.tcl.
11. Edit the script to use the _action=”display” switch.
Note: If you cannot remember where to insert this switch refer back to the earlier chapter of
this tutorial.
12. In Surpac, in the Navigator, right-click the working folder and click Refresh.
You can now select any points for the bearing and distance calculation, and the script returns to
the selection cycle instead of exiting.
14. In ConTEXT, modify the script so that it looks like the following.
Page 59 of 89
A better way to select points in graphics Summary
SclSelectPoint pnt1 "Select the setup point" \

layer1 str_no1 seg_no1 pnt_no1 x1 y1 z1 desc1
SclSelectPoint pnt2 "Select the backsight point" \

layer2 str_no2 seg_no2 pnt_no2 x2 y2 z2 desc2
set status [ SclFunction "BEARING AND DISTANCE" {

select_point=table { objectx objecty objectz } {
{ "$x1" "$y1" "$z1" }
{ "$x2" "$y2" "$z2" }
}
}]
Note: The backslashes ( \ ) used the example are continuation characters to extend a line
onto the next line. In your example you can combine these lines together.
16. In Surpac, in the Navigator, right-click the working folder and click Refresh.
You can now select any points for the bearing and distance calculation, and the script exits the
bearing and distance function after your selection.
Summary
In this chapter you have learnt how to use the SclSelectPoint function to better handle recorded Surpac
graphics functions.
Page 60 of 89
Useful Tcl commands Working with numbers
Useful Tcl commands

After you have mastered the basics of recording scripts and adding user interfaces, you are able to set
up scripts to process data. The commands described in this topic will help you to write scripts that
process data efficiently. There are commands used to:
 work with numbers

 work with text
 interface with the file system
Working with numbers

In Tcl everything is treated as a string or text value. When you have variables that you think of as
integers or real numbers, they are still strings in Tcl. To be able to perform arithmetic in Tcl there are a
number of commands that process arguments and internally handle the arguments as numbers.
The incr command

The incr command is used to add a number to the value stored in a memory variable. It is used
extensively when coding looping structures such as the for loop. Use of the for loop is covered in the
next chapter of this tutorial.
The command has two formats:
 incr variableName
 incr variableName number

The first format adds one to the value stored in variableName while the second format will add the
specified number to the value stored in variableName.
Task: Use incr

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 22_use_incr.tcl.
set i 0
incr i
puts $i
set section 1000
incr section 100
puts $section
set counter 100
incr counter -10
puts $counter
4. In Surpac, drag 22_use_incr.tcl into Graphics.

You will see the following in the message window.
Page 61 of 89
1
1100
90
The expr command

If you want to perform complex calculations in your scripts, you must use the expr command. The
expression command takes a standard arithmetic expression in computer format and returns the result.
The following mathematical operands are ones you will commonly use for constructing expressions in
your scripts. There are others commands available, for a full set of commands see the Tcl website, tcl.tk.
Operator Meaning
* / % Multiply, Divide, Remainder (integer division

+ - Add, Subtract
Mathematical functions supported by the expr command
acos cos Hypot sinh
asin cosh Log sqrt

atan exp log10 tan
atan2 floor Pow tanh
ceil fmod Sin
Conversion functions supported by the expr command
Function Description
abs(arg) Returns the absolute value of arg. Arg may be either integer or floating-point,
and the result is returned in the same form
double(arg) If arg is a floating value, returns arg, otherwise converts arg to floating and
returns the converted value.
int(arg) If arg is an integer value, returns arg, otherwise converts arg to integer by
truncation and returns the converted value.
rand() Returns a floating point number from zero to just less than one or, in
mathematical terms, the range [0,1). The seed comes from the internal clock of
the machine or may be set manual with the srand function.
round(arg) If arg is an integer value, returns arg, otherwise converts arg to integer by
rounding and returns the converted value.
srand(arg) The arg, which must be an integer, is used to reset the seed for the random
number generator. Returns the first random number from that seed.
Page 62 of 89
Task: Use expr

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 23_use_expr.tcl.
set x1 1000
set y1 1000
set x2 2000
set y2 2000
set delta_x [expr $x1 - $x2]

puts $delta_x
set delta_x [expr abs($delta_x)]

puts $delta_x
set line_len [expr sqrt((($x2 - $x1) * ($x2 - $x1)) +\

(($y2 - $y1) * ($y2 - $y1)))]
puts $line_len

5. In Surpac drag 23_use_expr.tcl into Graphics.
-1000
1000
1414.21356237
The SclExpr command

Scl has its own implementation of the Tcl expression command called SclExpr. The expression parser
used by SclExpr has been developed by Surpac. This expression parser uses the same format that you
use for expressions in String Maths, Field Maths, Block Maths, and DTM Maths.
The categories of functions you can use with SclExpr are:
 boolean functions
 bitwise functions
 algebraic functions
 string functions
 numeric comparison functions
 string comparison functions
 radian trigonometric functions
 degree trigonometric functions
 angle unit conversion functions
Page 63 of 89
 exponential functions
 conversion functions
 numeric constant functions
 random number generation functions
 datetime functions
 miscellaneous functions
Note: For further information about these expressions see the Surpac help.
Task: Use SclExpr

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save and new, blank, file as 24_use_sclexpr.tcl.
set rad 3
set cos_radians [SclExpr COS($rad)]
puts $cos_radians
set deg [SclExpr RTOD($rad)]

puts $deg
set cos_deg [SclExpr COSD($deg)]

puts $cos_deg
puts [SclExpr FORMAT($cos_deg, 3)]

5. In Surpac, drag 24_use_sclexpr.tcl into Graphics.
-0.9899924966004454
171.88733853924697
-0.9899924966004454
-0.990
Page 64 of 89
Useful Tcl commands Working with text strings
Working with text strings

You will often want to manipulate text strings to extract data from dfields or note files, or from any
source of text data that could even include the Surpac message window. Tcl provides the string
command that has a number of sub functions to extract text.
The common sub functions of the string command are:
 string length
 string index
 string first
 string range
 string trim
 string tolower
 string toupper
string length <text string>

The length sub-function of string returns the number of characters present in the text string.
Task: Use string length

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 25_use_string_length.tcl.
set data_values “123, 456, 789”

set len [string length $data_values]
puts $len

5. In Surpac, drag 25_use_string_length.tcl into Graphics.
13
string index <text string> <charIndex>

The index sub-function of string returns the char Index character of the text string argument. A char
Index of 0 corresponds to the first character of the string. The char Index can be specified as follows:
 number - the character at the given number (starting from 0)

 end - the keyword “end” refers to the last character of the string
 end-number – the keyword “end” minus the specified number
Page 65 of 89
Task: Use string index

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 26_use_string_index.tcl.

set char [string index $data_values 1]
puts $char
set char [string index $data_values end]

puts $char

5. In Surpac, drag 26_use_string_index.tcl into Graphics.
2
9
string first <string1> <string2> [<startIndex>]

The first sub-function of string will search string2 for a sequence of characters that exactly match the
characters in string1. If found it returns the index in the string of the first character that matched within
string2. If string1 is not found in string2 it returns -1. If startIndex is specified the search begins from
that index in the string.
Think of it in English terms as “find the first instance of string1 in string2 after position <start index>”
Task: Use string first

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 27_use_string first.tcl.

set ndx [string first “,” $data_values]
puts $ndx
set ndx [string first “,” $data_values 4]

puts $ndx

5. In Surpac, drag 27_use_string_first.tcl into Graphics.
3
8
Page 66 of 89
string range <text string> <first> <last>

The range sub-function of string returns a range of consecutive characters from the text string, starting
with the character whose index is first and ending with the character whose index is last. An index of 0
refers to the first character of the string and the keyword “end” refers to the last character in the text
string.
Task: Use string range

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 28_use_string_range.tcl.

set d1 [string range $data_values 0 2]
puts $d1
set d3 [string range $data_values 10 end]

puts $d3

5. In Surpac, drag 28_use_string_range.tcl into Graphics.
123
789
string trim <text string>

The trim sub-function of string will remove any leading or trailing spaces from the given text string.
Task: Use string trim

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 29_use_string_trim.tcl.

set d2 [string range $data_values 4 7]
puts $d2
set d2 [string trim $d2]

puts $d2

5. In Surpac, drag 29_use_string_trim.tcl into Graphics.
Page 67 of 89
456
456
string tolower <text string> and string toupper <text string>

The tolower and toupper sub-functions of the string command convert any characters of the original
text string to lower or upper case respectively.
Task: Use string tolower and toupper

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 30_use_string_tolower_and_toupper.tcl.
set data_value “Ore Grade”

set lower [string tolower $data_value]
puts $lower
set upper [string toupper $data_value]

puts $upper

5. In Surpac, drag 24_use_string_tolower_and_toupper.tcl into Graphics.
ore grade
ORE GRADE
Page 68 of 89
Useful Tcl commands Working with the File System
Working with the File System

Interacting with the computers file system is something you must do when writing scripts. Tcl provides
the file command that has a number of sub functions to perform many actions on the file system. These
functions work in a similar manner to DOS commands.
file copy [-force] <source file name> <target file name>

The copy sub-function of file allows you to copy files stored on disk. If the target file already exists, the
command will fail, unless you have specified the –force.
Task: Use file copy

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 31_use_file_copy.tcl.
file copy pit1.str new1.str

file copy –force pit2.str new2.str

5. In Surpac, drag 31_use_file_copy.tcl into Graphics.
Check the current directory, you will see new1.str and new2.str in the directory.
file delete [-force] <file name>

The delete sub-function of file allows you to delete files or directories stored on disk. If the target file is
read only, the command will fail, unless you specify the –force switch.
Task: Use file delete

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 32_use_file_delete.tcl.
3. Copy and paste, or type, the text exactly as in the following
file delete new1.str
file delete –force new2.str

5. In Surpac, drag 32_use_file_delete.tcl into Graphics.
Check the current directory, new1.str and new2.str have been deletedfrom the directory.
file rename [-force] <source file name> <target file name>

The rename sub-function of file allows you to rename files stored on disk. If the target file already exists,
the command will fail, unless you specify the –forceswitch.
Page 69 of 89
Task: Use file rename

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 33_use_file_rename.tcl.
file copy MY_WORK:pit1.str new1.str

file rename –force new2.str oldone.str

5. In Surpac, drag 33_use_file_rename.tcl into Graphics.
Check the current directory, you will see a new file called oldone.str in the directory.
file exists <file name>

The exists sub-function of file allows you to check to see if a file actually exists on the disk. This can be a
useful function when tied together with an if statement.
Task: Use file exists

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 34_use_file_exists.tcl.
if {[file exists MY_WORK:pit1.str]} then {

puts “Processing file ...”
} else {
puts “File not found”
}

2. In Surpac, drag 33_use_file_exists.tcl into Graphics.
Processing file ...
file mkdir <directory path> & cd <directory path>

The mkdir sub-function of file allows you to make new directories (folders) on the disk. If the directory
path contains sub directories that don’t exist then the whole path is created.
Note: You can use file delete to remove a directory path.
The cd command allows you to change the current directory (folder) on the disk. cd is a command, not a
sub function of the file command.
Task: Use file mkdir

1. Open ConTEXT.
Page 70 of 89
2. Save a new, blank, file as 35_use_file_mkdir.tcl.

file mkdir temp

cd temp
puts “in temp”
cd ..
file delete temp
puts “removed temp”

2. In Surpac, drag 35_use_file_mkdir.tcl into Graphics.
in temp
removed temp
glob [-nocomplain --] <directory specification>

Unfortunately the file command cannot process wildcards. That is, you cannot use a command like file
delete *.tmp. Tcl provides the glob command to read a directory of files into a list that can then be
processed in your script.
You can use the –nocomplain switch to stop an error occurring if no files match the directory
specifications you have given.
If you want to use the glob command with the file command, you must use a specialised looping
command called foreach. This command processes Tcl lists.
Note: The lists data structure is not discussed further in this tutorial. However, the following example
should demonstrate how to use lists with the glob command.
Task: Use the glob command

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 36_use_glob.tcl.
set file_list [glob –nocomplain -- *.tmp *.cf]

foreach file_name $file_list {
puts “deleting $file_name”
file delete $file_name
}

5. In Surpac, drag 36_use_glob.tcl into Graphics.
Note: This task will read all *.tmp and *.cf files in the current directory, then load them into a list
variable called fileList. The foreach loop will then loop over each file in the list storing them one by one
into the variable fileName. The file delete command deletes the files one by one as the loop iterates.
Page 71 of 89
Useful Tcl commands Summary
Summary
In this chapter you have learnt some native Tcl commands to use when you write scripts. You can now:
 perform mathematical expressions
 manipulate strings
 interact with the file system including using wildcards
Page 72 of 89
Basic flow control in Tcl Boolean expressions
Basic flow control in Tcl

After you are familiar with recording scripts and creating user forms, you will want to be able to process
the data you have called into the script. To process the data you need to understand flow control, so
that you can makes choices in the way you write the script to get the desired result.
Boolean expressions
Flow control constructs, for example, branching to a section of code or repeating a number of
commands, are based on a conditional test. An example of this construction in English is:
“If the user selected to plot then perform the plotting code”
The keywords in the example are if and then; they describe some action. The “user selected to plot” is
the condition or test criteria that determines whether the plotting code is executed. This condition can
evaluate to only true or false. Another example:
“While there is another section number continue processing sections”
The keywords in this example are while and continue. The “is another section number” is the condition
or test that determines if the software will continue extracting sections. Again, this test can only
evaluate to true or false.
A Boolean expression is an expression that can result in only one of two possible outcomes that are true
or false. The outcomes are based on testing something, whether it be comparing simple numbers or
text strings, or some complicated arithmetic expression, or even combinations of numbers, text, and
arithmetic.
When you write a Boolean expression it is best to sound out what you are trying to test for in English
first. This helps you make sure you have your logic correct.
Common operators you can use to write Boolean expressions (grouped by decreasing precedence)
Operator Example Description
! !$a Logical NOT;

Negate the value on the left hand side
That is, while not at the end of file
< $a < $b Boolean less than;
Is the value on the left less than the value on the right
That is, if a is less than b
> $a > $b Boolean greater than;
Is the value on the left greater than the value on the right
That is, if a is greater than b
<= $a <= $b Boolean less than equal to;
Is the value on the left less than or equal to the value on the right
Page 73 of 89
Basic flow control in Tcl Boolean expressions
Operator Example Description
That is, if a is less than or equal to b

>= $a >= $b Boolean greater than or equal to;
Is the value on the left greater than or equal to the value on the right
That is, if a is greater than or equal to b
== $a == $b Boolean equal;
are the left and right sides equal
That is, if a is equal to b
!= $a != $b Boolean not equal;
are the left and right side different
That is, if a is not equal to b
&& $a && $b Logical AND;
If the left and right sides are both true then the expression is true
That is, if expression a is true and expression b is true
|| $a || $b Logical OR;
If either the left or right side are true then the expression is true
That is, if expression a is true or expression b is true
The last two operators can be combined to form complex Boolean expressions using the && (and) and
|| (or) operators that perform comparisons on many arguments. The truth table below explains the
results of using && (and) and || (or) in Boolean expressions.
&& (and)
True False
True true false
False false false
|| (or)
True False
True true true
False true false
Note: The actual representation in Tcl for false is 0 and for true is anything but 0.
Page 74 of 89
Basic flow control in Tcl The if Command
The if Command
The Tcl if statement is used to branch to a section of code to be executed based on a Boolean
expression. There are four possible forms of the if command.
if {expression} then {command body}

A simple if statement can be read in English as “if something is true then perform some action”.
Note: The use of the keyword then is optional.
Task: Use an if then statement

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 37_use_if_then_statement.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-default_buttons
GuidoField bearing {
-label "Enter a bearing"
-format float
-width 10
-low_bound 0
-high_bound 360
-null false
}
}
}
if {$bearing > 45 && $bearing <= 135} then {

puts “The direction is East”
}

5. In Surpac, drag 37_use_if_then_statement.tcl into Graphics.
The result returned to the message window will vary according to your input value.
Page 75 of 89
if {expression} then {commands} else {commands}

A derivative of the basic if is the If-then-else construct that allows one of two sets of commands to be
executed.
Note: Only one branch can be executed when the script is run.
Task: Use an if then else statement

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 38_use_if_then_else_statement.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-default_buttons
-format float
-width 10
-low_bound 0
-high_bound 360
-null false
}
}
}
if {$bearing > 45 && $bearing <= 135} then {

} else {
puts “The direction is not East”
}

5. In Surpac, drag 38_use_if_then_else_statement.tcl into Graphics.
Page 76 of 89
if {expression} then {commands} elseif {commands} […]

A further derivative of the basic if is the if-then-else-if construct that allows many tests in order to
execute one of many command bodies. Note that only one branch is possible, that is to say that it is not
possible for more than one of the code branches to be executed.
Task: Use an if elseif statement

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 39_use_if_elseif_statement.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-default_buttons
-format float
-width 10
-low_bound 0
-high_bound 360
-null false
}
}
}
if {$bearing > 45 && $bearing <= 135} {

} elseif {$bearing > 135 && $bearing <= 225} {
puts “The direction is South”
puts “The direction is West”
} elseif {$bearing > 315 && $bearing <= 360 ||
$bearing >= 0 && $bearing <= 45} {
puts “The direction is North”
}

5. In Surpac, drag 39_use_if_elseif_statement.tcl into Graphics.
Page 77 of 89
if {exprsn} {commands} elseif {commands} […] else {commands}

The final derivative of the basic if is a construct for the if-then-else-if statement that allows a default
branch to execute if none of the previous tested branches is true.
Note: Only one branch can be executed.
Task: Use an if elseif else statement

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 40_use_if_elseif_default_branch.tcl.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-default_buttons
-format float
-width 10
-low_bound 0
-high_bound 360
-null false
}
}
}
if {$bearing > 45 && $bearing <= 135} {

puts “The direction is South”
puts “The direction is West”
} elseif {$bearing > 315 && $bearing <= 360 ||
$bearing > 0 && $bearing <= 45} {
puts “The direction is North”
} else {
puts “The bearing cannot be classified
}

5. In Surpac, drag 40_use_if_elseif_default_branch.tcl into Graphics.
Page 78 of 89
Basic flow control in Tcl while {expression} {commands}
while {expression} {commands}

The while command is used to repeat a section of code until a Boolean condition becomes false. The
action of repeating a series of Tcl statements is called looping.
There are a number of looping statements available in Tcl, and each statement has a particular purpose.
The while statement is used when you don’t know in advanced how many times you need to repeat a
section of code. For example if you were to read all the lines in a text file you don’t know how many
lines there will be until you read the last one.
Task: Use a while statement

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 41_use_while_statement.tcl.
set dfields "d1, d2, d3, d4, d5,"

set pos1 0
set pos2 [string first "," $dfields]
while {$pos2 > 0} {
set dfield [string range $dfields $pos1 [expr $pos2 - 1]]
set dfield [string trim $dfield]
puts "$dfield"
set pos1 [expr $pos2 + 1]
set pos2 [string first "," $dfields $pos1]
}

5. In Surpac, drag 41_use_while_statement.tcl into Graphics.
d1
d2
d3
d4
d5
Page 79 of 89
Basic flow control in Tcl for {start} {expression} {next} {commands}
for {start} {expression} {next} {commands}

The for command is a specialist loop control that you usually use when you know exactly how many
times you want to loop. For example, if you were processing the range of sections “1000,2000,100” you
know you have 11 sections to process.
The start section of the loop is executed once just prior to the first loop test. The expression is the test
that determines whether the loop continues. The next section is executed at the end of each loop
iteration. The commands are the statements to execute, or the body of the loop.
Task: Use a for statement

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 42_use_for_statement.tcl.
for {set count 1} {$count <= 10} {incr count} {

puts "This is the $count time through the loop"
}

5. In Surpac, drag 42_use_for_statement.tcl into Graphics.
This is the 1 time through the loop

Note: The incr command used in the example adds 1 to the variable count. incr can take a second
parameter such as incr count –1 which will be added to the variable. This is useful when you need to
loop backwards.
Page 80 of 89
Basic flow control in Tcl Changing loop behaviour with continue and break
Changing loop behaviour with continue and break

There are two commands that can alter the flow control in a loop. They are continue and break.
The continue command, when encountered, will force the Tcl interpreter to stop processing commands
in the current loop iteration and continue onto the next loop cycle.
The break command, when encountered, will terminate the loop immediately and the Tcl interpreter
will begin processing commands after the loop.
Task: Use continue and break in a loop

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 43_use_continue_and_break_in_loop.tcl.
# loop forever
while {1} {
# select a point from the graphics viewport
set status \
[SclSelectPoint point "Select a point (Esc 2 exit)" \
layer str_No seg_no pnt_no x y z desc]
if {$status != $SCL_OK} {
# if user pressed escape exit the loop
break
}
puts "Selected points coords are y = $y x = $x, z = $z"

}

5. In Surpac, drag 43_use_continue_and_break_in_loop.tcl into Graphics.
Summary
In this chapter you have learnt about the basic flow control structures of Tcl. You can now create simple
scripts that can perform conditional tests on variables and branch or loop depending upon these tests.
Page 81 of 89
Manipulating Surpac ranges with Scl SclRangeExpand
Manipulating Surpac ranges with Scl

Use of ranges in Surpac is widespread and it is likely that you will need to manipulate ranges as part of
processing in your scripts. This chapter describes Scl commands that you can use to process ranges for
your scripts.
SclRangeExpand
The SclRangeExpand command takes a Surpac range specification like “100, 200, 10” and then expands
it out into its individual components in memory. Once a range specification has been expanded in
memory you can access information on it using the other SclRange functions.
Syntax
SclRangeExpand RangeHandle RangeExpression
Where
RangeHandle is a reference variable that you will use to access the expanded range
For example, secRange, inputRange, and fileld.
RangeExpression is the actual range that is being expanded i.e. 1000, 2000, 100
Return Values
For example, the range specification 1000, 2000, 100 would expand into the following series of values in
memory:
1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000
SclRangeGetCount
The SclRangeGetCount command will get a count of the number of items in a range that has been
expanded in memory using the SclRangeExpand function.
Syntax
SclRangeGetCount RangeHandle
Where
RangeHandle is the reference handle (variable) that was created after performing
SclRangeExpand For example, $secRange, $inputRange, and $fileIds.
Return Values
In the previous example the returned range count would be 11 for the range 1000, 2000, 100.
Page 82 of 89
Manipulating Surpac ranges with Scl SclRangeGet
SclRangeGet
The SclRangeGet command will get a range value at the specified position in a range, which has been
expanded in memory using the SclRangeExpand function.
Syntax
SclRangeGet RangeHandle RangePosition RangeValue
Where
RangeHandle is the reference handle (variable) that was created after performing
SclRangeExpand For example, $secRange, $inputRange, and $fileIds.
RangePosition is the position in the range to get the value for
Note: The first item in the range is at position 0.
RangeValue is the name of a variable to store the range value into
For example, secNum, Id, and bench. If the variable doesn’t exist it is created.
Return Values
Note: The range position starts at zero and not one. The following example uses the range 1000,
2000, 100.
0th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th
1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000
Putting the range commands together

Using the range functions is quite simple. The following example demonstrates the use of these three
range functions along with a Tcl for loop.
Task: Use the range commands

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 44_use_range.tcl.
set sec_range “7000,8000,100”
SclRangeExpand sec_range_handle "$sec_range"
set sec_range_count [SclRangeGetCount $sec_range_handle]

for {set pos 0} {$pos < $sec_range_count} {incr pos} {
SclRangeGet $sec_range_handle $pos sec_no

set sec_file “sec$sec_no.str”
puts “This section is $sec_file”
}
Page 83 of 89
Manipulating Surpac ranges with Scl Summary

5. In Surpac, drag 44_use_range.tcl into Graphics.
This section is sec7000.0.str

6. In ConTEXT, add a form that will get any value for the sec_range variable to the beginning of the
script.
Note: You can use the following code sample to add this form.
set form_def {
GuidoForm form {
-label "Surpac Ranges"
-default_buttons
GuidoField sec_range {
-label "Enter a range"
-format range
-width 20
-null false
}
}
}
7. In Surpac, drag 44_use_range.tcl into Graphics.

8. Enter a number of different range values in the Surpac Ranges form.
a. 100,200,25;235;256;300,500,50
b. 100
c. 1,10
d. 1000,1020,5;1002;1020,5
Page 84 of 89
Manipulating Surpac ranges with Scl Summary
Summary
In this chapter you learnt about Scl commands that you can use to manipulate Surpac ranges. The basic
range template will handle any Surpac range the user inputs, regardless of whether the range is
uniform, non-uniform, or both.
Page 85 of 89
File input and output – reading and writing files Opening and closing files
File input and output – reading and writing files

When you start to write more complicated scripts you might need to bring in data from external sources
such as text files or databases. To do this you can use third-party packages that interface between Tcl
and a variety of data sources. The references list at the end of this tutorial provides the names of some
of these third-party applications. In this chapter you will learn to read and write text files with Tcl.
Opening and closing files

Tcl provides two commands to open and close files, called open and close. When the open command is
used, a handle (reference to the file) is returned. The handle is then used to access the file in other
commands.
open <file name> <access>

The open command allows you to access the file system so that you can read or write files. You must
nominate what type of action you want to perform on the file by specifying the type of access as
follows.
r - to read an existing file
w - to create or write a new file
Note: This deletes the specified file name if it exists.
Examples
set read_file [open “datafile.dat” “r”]
set write_file [open “newfile.dat” “w”]
Note: Note that the open command returns a reference value that you store into a variable. You use
this variable to later refer to the opened file with other Tcl commands that you use to access the file.
close <file reference variable>

After you have opened a file and performed read or write functions on it, you must use the close
command to close the file. This clears the input/output buffers in memory and releases any resources
allocated to the file.
Examples
close $read_file
close $write_file
Reading from a file

There are two Tcl commands that you can use to read from files, called gets and read. The read
command is more advanced and allows block input/output. The gets command is simpler and reads one
line of text from the referenced file.
Page 86 of 89
File input and output – reading and writing files Writing to a file
gets <file reference variable> <variable for read data>

The gets command will read a single line from the referenced file and place the read data into a variable
that you specify. If this variable does not previously exist, it is created.
Note: Lines are read sequentially one by one with each gets statement.
Examples
gets $read_file line
gets $input_file inputData
Note: With the examples above the actual data is placed into memory variables called line and
inputData.
eof <file reference variable>

When reading files you will normally set up a file read loop. You must be careful not to read past the
end of the file because this will cause an input/output error, which will stop your script from running. Tcl
provides an eof command to test for end of file.
The eof command returns true if the end of file marker has been read, or false if the end of the file has
not been read. Usually you set up a while loop with your Boolean expression that, in English, reads as
“while not at the end of file keep looping”.
Example
while {![eof $read_file} {
# file processing stuff
}
Writing to a file
There are two Tcl commands that you can use to write to files, called puts and write. The write
command is more advanced and allows block input/output. The puts command is simple and outputs a
single line. You have already used the puts command for writing to the message window. You can also
use the puts command to write a line to a file that has been opened for writing.
puts <file reference variable> <text string>

When two parameters are specified to the puts command, the first is read as a file reference variable,
and the second the information to write to the file.
Examples
puts $write_file “some text to write to the file”
puts $write_file “$processedData”
Page 87 of 89
File input and output – reading and writing files A file-processing template
A file-processing template
The commands discussed previously in this tutorial are all you need to write simple file processing
scripts. The following example gives you a template that you can base most of your scripts on. It opens
one file for reading, one for writing, reads each line from the read file, and writes the lines to the new
file for writing, and closes both files.
Task: Create a file-processing template

1. Open ConTEXT.
2. Save a new, blank, file as 45_create_file_processing_template.tcl.
# open files for reading and writing

set read_file [open "pit1.str" "r"]
set write_file [open "new1.str" "w"]
# read the first line

# loop for each line in the file

while {![eof $read_file]} {
# write the line to the backup file

puts $write_file "$line"
# read the next line

}
# close the files

close $read_file
close $write_file

5. In Surpac, drag 45_create_file_processing_template.tcl into Graphics.
The template copies the contents from one file to the other, without altering the content. In
practice a functioning script would process the data being read in before writing it to the output
file.
Summary
In this chapter you have learnt about the basic commands for performing file input/output. You now
have a basic file processing template to use in your scripts.
Page 88 of 89
Tcl references Surpac help
Tcl references
Surpac help
Surpac includes a complete Tcl on-line reference manual that describes each of the Tcl commands in
detail. It also includes a complete Scl and GUIDO reference manual, with code samples to demonstrate
how you can use each of the Scl commands.
Text books
Practical Programming in Tcl and Tk
Brent Welch. Prentice Hall, 1999. 3rd Ed
ISBN: 0-13-022028-0.
Effective Tcl/Tk Programming

Mark Harrison and Michael McLennan, Addison-Wesley, 1997.
ISBN: 0-201-63474-0.
Tcl/Tk for Dummies

Tim Webster with Alex Francis, IDG Books, 1997.
ISBN: 3-89319-793-1.
Tcl/Tk For Programmers

Adrian Zimmer. IEEE Computer Society, 1998.
ISBN 0-8186-8515-8.
WWW resources
There are many internet sites dedicated to the Tcl language, a number of which offer Tcl solutions. The
Scriptics site is a good place to begin, and it contains a link page to a number of other resources.
http://www.tcl.tk http://dev.scriptics.com/resource/community/websites/
The mine solutions initiative is dedicated to promoting third party Surpac developments. It contains
resources, and tips and tricks for using Tcl/Scl. vComp Pty Ltd manages the development and associated
web site.
www.minesolutions.com [email protected]
The GEOVIA software and GEOVIA support web sites provide links to a number of third party Tcl
resources, as well as free scripts for download.
http://www.3ds.com/GEOVIA www.GEOVIAsupport.com
Page 89 of 89

Introduction To TCL SCL

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Introduction to Tcl/Scl

Working with text strings ....................................................................................................................... 65

Test Script Complete Script

Setup for this tutorial

Task: Set the work directory

Logicals, command aliases, and hotkeys

Task: Create a user logical

5. Choose File > Save As.

"2DG" "2D GRID"

Task: Create a command alias

puts “Hello Surpac - this is my first script”

Hello Surpac - this is my first script

"f7" FUNCTION "MACRO:MY_WORK:IMPORT_CSV"

Task: Create a hotkey

“f11” FUNCTION “MACRO:MY_WORK:hello.tcl”

Hello Surpac - this is my first script

Creating menus and toolbars

Invoking the menu and toolbar editor tool

Task: Creating a menu from system menu items

Task: Copy and paste an existing menu

Creating your own menu items

11. Click Edit.

Fields on the Create Menu Item form

Item Category Item – Invokes a Surpac function or specified Tcl script.

Creating a custom toolbar

Task: Create a custom button to put onto a toolbar

Fields on the Create Toolbar Item form

Item Category Item – Invokes a software function or specified Tcl script.

 create menu items

Recording tasks in a Tcl script

Task: Record a macro

4. Press Start/end recording an SCL script .

1. Click Playback/abort a macro or SCL script .

Task: Run a script without the macro playback form

Structure of a Tcl macro

set status [ SclFunction "CREATE DTM" {

set status [ SclFunction "ZOOM ALL" {} ]

set status [ SclFunction "IDENTIFY POINT" {

set status [ SclFunction "BEARING AND DISTANCE" {

set status [ SclFunction "OPEN FILE" {

An example of SclFunction as recorded in a Surpac script

Task: Record a script to rotate data

4. Click the Location drop-down and select pit1.str.

Using the _action switch

set status [ SclFunction "CREATE DTM" {

The _action switch has two possible settings:

set status [ SclFunction "CREATE DTM" {

Task: Record a script to create a DTM

5. Click Start/end recording an SCL script.

18. In Surpac, click Playback/abort a macro or SCL script.

set status [ SclFunction "IDENTIFY POINT" {

Task: Record a script to perform inquire point

Some required Tcl basics to get working

 load string and DTM data into graphics layers

Variables and substitution

The current section is 6800

Will result in the following being written in the message window.

The current section is $sectionNumber

Drill Hole ID = RC0001