How to run multiple TCL scripts in same tclsh window?

Question

Description

1. I work with VBScript
2. From VBScript I call my first TCL script "name1"
3. After the script "name1" is finished, I continue to work with VBScript
4. After several VBScript functions I call my second TCL script "name2" and this script is a child process of the script "name1". The script "name2" have to use all variables from the script "name1"

Current result

My scripts "name1" and "name2" are executing in the different tclsh windows As a result, the "name2" is not familiar with the variables of the "name1"

Expected result

"name1" and "name2" are executed in the same tclsh window

Comment

I tried to use these commands but I don't know its syntax in the VBScript

Tcl_Create tclHandler, TCL_Eval Status, tclHandler,

It would be nice to have an example how to use these commands in the VBScript, or any other

Thanks

VBScript:

#$language = "VBScript"
#$interface = "1.0"
Const ForReading = 1
Const ForWriting = 2
Const ForAppending = 8
crt.Screen.Synchronous = True
Sub Main
 dim shell
   set shell=createobject("wscript.shell")
   shell.run "tclsh e:\RunTCL\name1.tcl"
   crt.Sleep 10000 ' or any VBScript commands
   shell.run "tclsh e:\RunTCL\name2.tcl" 

End Sub

name1.tcl

package req SpirentTestCenter

set hProject [stc::create project]

set hTxPort [stc::create port -under $hProject -location //192.168.0.243/10/17 -useDefaultHost False]

name2.tcl

set hRxPort [stc::create port -under $hProject -location //192.168.0.243/10/25 -useDefaultHost False]

New code with tcl84.dll and its commands "TCL_Create tclHandler,":

#$language = "VBScript"
#$interface = "1.0"
Const ForReading = 1
Const ForWriting = 2
Const ForAppending = 8
crt.Screen.Synchronous = True
Sub Main
Dim wscriptTCL 
tclHandler = 0
set wscriptTCL =CreateObject("C:\Tcl\bin\tcl84.dll")
TCL_Create tclHandler, wscriptTCL, 1
puts "Importing STC API"
TCL_Eval Status, tclHandler, "package req SpirentTestCenter"
puts "Creating API objects set"
TCL_Eval Status, tclHandler, "set hProject [stc::create project]"
puts "Connecting to STC ports" 
TCL_Eval Status, tclHandler, "set hTxPort [stc::create port -under $hProject -location //10.110.10.243/8/9 -useDefaultHost False]"

src.Sleep 100000

TCL_Eval Status, tclHandler, "set hRxPort [stc::create port -under $hProject -location //10.110.10.243/8/10 -useDefaultHost False]"

As a result, I see this message: Error:ActiveX component can't create object 'c:\tcl\bin\tcl84.dll'

I can use 2 options:

1. Call the tcl file from my VB script
2. Call tcl commands from the VB script via dll

But nobody is working

Good news, it starts to work, however, I would prefer to execute separate TCL files by API

  shell.run "tclsh"
  crt.Sleep 10000
  shell.AppActivate "tclsh"
  shell.SendKeys("TCL command")

Answer 1

tcl84.dll is not something that provides a COM class. You cannot create a Tcl interpreter using the VBScript CreateObject call like this. VBScript does not have a mechanism to access exported functions directly from a DLL so you cannot run your Tcl code from VBScript except by executing a tclsh or wish process.

Each time you execute tclsh.exe scriptfile you are creating a new child process. It will run your script but when it exits the process is terminated and everything about it is lost unless you read the standard output or wrote information to a file to preserve it. So running a second script will of course have no knowledge of the first script.

One way to run two tcl scripts together is to create a script that uses the tcl source command to load both scripts into a single interpreter. Another method might be to read the output of the first script, parse out the values you need and pass these as command line arguments to the second. Or you could have the first script write a file of tcl commands that when sourced in the second process will update the variables you require.

Your final example is creating a single process and communicating via emulated keystrokes. This is really slow and error prone. There is a winsend package that can let you send messages to tcl interpreters from vbscript. There might be some others as part of TWAPI that can let you register the interpreter for external access.