Tcl Built-In Commands                                      set(n)

_________________________________________________________________

NAME
     set - Read and write variables

SYNOPSIS
     set varName ?value?
_________________________________________________________________

DESCRIPTION
     Returns the value of variable varName.  If value  is  speci-
     fied, then set the value of varName to value, creating a new
     variable if one doesn't already exist, and return its value.
     If  varName  contains  an  open  parenthesis and ends with a
     close parenthesis, then it refers to an array element:   the
     characters before the first open parenthesis are the name of
     the array, and the characters between  the  parentheses  are
     the  index  within the array.  Otherwise varName refers to a
     scalar variable.  Normally, varName is unqualified (does not
     include  the  names  of  any containing namespaces), and the
     variable of that name in the current namespace  is  read  or
     written.   If  varName includes namespace qualifiers (in the
     array name if it refers to an array element),  the  variable
     in the specified namespace is read or written.

     If  no  procedure  is  active,  then  varName  refers  to  a
     namespace variable (global variable if the current namespace
     is the global namespace).  If a procedure  is  active,  then
     varName  refers to a parameter or local variable of the pro-
     cedure unless the global command was invoked to declare var-
     Name  to be global, or unless a variable command was invoked
     to declare varName to be a namespace variable.

SEE ALSO
     expr(n), proc(n), trace(n), unset(n)

KEYWORDS
     read, write, variable

Tcl                       Last change:                          1