m4_comment([$Id: using.so,v 11.9 2004/11/03 16:38:07 bostic Exp $])

m4_ref_title(Tcl API,
    Using m4_db with Tcl, using m4_db with @Tcl, tcl/intro, tcl/program)

m4_p([dnl
All commands in the m4_db Tcl interface are in the following form:])

m4_indent([command_handle operation options])

m4_p([dnl
The m4_italic(command handle) is m4_bold(berkdb) or one of the additional
commands that may be created. The m4_italic(operation) is what you want
to do to that handle, and the m4_italic(options) apply to the operation.
Commands that get created on behalf of the application have their own sets
of operations.  Generally, any calls in DB that result in new object
handles will translate into a new command handle in Tcl. Then, the user
can access the operations of the handle via the new Tcl command handle.])

m4_p([dnl
Newly created commands are named with an abbreviated form of their
objects, followed by a number. Some created commands are subcommands of
other created commands and will be the first command, followed by a
period (.), and then followed by the new subcommand. For example,
suppose that you have a database already existing called my_data.db.
The following example shows the commands created when you open the
database and when you open a cursor:])

m4_indent([dnl
# First open the database and get a database command handle
% berkdb open my_data.db
db0
#Get some data from that database
% db0 get my_key
{{my_key my_data0}{my_key my_data1}}
#Open a cursor in this database, get a new cursor handle
% db0 cursor
db0.c0
#Get the first data from the cursor
% db0.c0 get -first
{{first_key first_data}}])

m4_p([dnl
All commands in the library support a special option m4_bold(-?) that will
list the correct operations for a command or the correct options.])

m4_p([dnl
A list of commands and operations can be found in the
m4_link(M4RELDIR/api_tcl/api_tcl, Tcl Interface) documentation.])

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