variable(n) Tcl (8.0) variable(n)
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NAME
variable - create and initialize a namespace variable
SYNOPSIS
variable ?name value...? name ?value?
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DESCRIPTION
This command is normally used within a namespace eval
command to create one or more variables within a namespace.
Each variable name is initialized with value. The value for
the last variable is optional.
If a variable name does not exist, it is created. In this
case, if value is specified, it is assigned to the newly
created variable. If no value is specified, the new
variable is left undefined. If the variable already exists,
it is set to value if value is specified or left unchanged
if no value is given. Normally, name is unqualified (does
not include the names of any containing namespaces), and the
variable is created in the current namespace. If name
includes any namespace qualifiers, the variable is created
in the specified namespace.
If the variable command is executed inside a Tcl procedure,
it creates local variables linked to the corresponding
namespace variables. In this way the variable command
resembles the global command, although the global command
only links to variables in the global namespace. If any
values are given, they are used to modify the values of the
associated namespace variables. If a namespace variable
does not exist, it is created and optionally initialized.
A name argument cannot reference an element within an array.
Instead, name should reference the entire array, and the
initialization value should be left off. After the variable
has been declared, elements within the array can be set
using ordinary set or array commands.
SEE ALSO
global(n), namespace(n)
KEYWORDS
global, namespace, procedure, variable
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