Here's an example, which will mill a set of slots in an efficient manner (first from left to right, then from right to left):

G20; G0 X0 Y0 Z.1; F8

for {set i 0} {$i < 10} {incr i} {
    G0 X$i; G1 Z-.1
    if {$i % 2 == 0} Y10 else Y0 
    G0 Z.1
}
M2

Tcl has not only integer and floating-point numbers, but also strings, lists, and arrays. Tcl extensions can be written in C, C++, and other languages, so an interface to a library like CGAL could be implemented, easing the work of writing code to mill irregular pockets. And finally, the Tk graphical toolkit is accessible by simply putting 'package require Tk' in your .gcl file, allowing the program to include its own user-prompting facility.

The downsides to any "preprocess to linear g-code" method is that infinite programs cannot be written (though in fact, you can write O-words to the output of a gcl program), and that program logic cannot depend on the result of a probe operation (though again you can still "escape" to O-words). These may be required features for a few people, but probably not for most.

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Entry first conceived on 28 December 2006, 14:19 UTC, last modified on 28 December 2006, 14:40 UTC