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From: Rich <rich@example.invalid>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.tcl
Subject: Re: tcl hidden "cruelties"
Date: Mon, 14 Oct 2024 01:44:31 -0000 (UTC)
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aotto1968 <aotto1968@t-online.de> wrote:
> Regardless of "broken code", TCL itself has some cruelties in its 
> syntax.  Here, for example, the storage of an "array" with a 
> namespace path, which in TCL always has !!  TWO !!  commands.  ONE 
> command to generate the namespace and ONE command to finally generate 
> the array.
> 
> namespace eval ::funcDEF::MkErrN {}
> array set ::funcDEF::MkErrN::my {
>     RETURN_MAPPING                                     {}
> ...
> }

This is Tcl.  If something is that bothersome, just morph the language 
to be the way you want it to work.  I.e.:

  proc ns-array-set {fullvarname contents} {
    namespace eval [namespace qualifiers $fullvarname] {}
    array set $fullvarname $contents
  }

Create that once, then use it, instead of plain "array set" whenever 
you want to create a namespace, and then set an array within, i.e.:

  % ns-array-set abc::pdq::xyz [list a 1 b 2 c 3]

Which has now, in a single command, created the parent namespaces, and 
the array variable therein:

  % info exists abc::pdq::xyz
  1
  % parray abc::pdq::xyz
  abc::pdq::xyz(a) = 1
  abc::pdq::xyz(b) = 2
  abc::pdq::xyz(c) = 3
  % 

And, given that the 'array' command is itself a namespace ensemble, you 
could extend the 'array' ensemble to add a "ns-set" (or whatever name 
you like) to the ensemble that performs the above "create ns - and 
init" of a namespace variable, then you could do 
"array ns-set [list a 1 b 2]" 
in your code to replace the two commands.