This is the manual page for the Tclgestalt extension (version 1.1).

Synopsis
Description
- Gestalt selectors and their meanings
- Interpreting gestalt responses
  - Environmental selectors
  - Informational selectors
Examples
Portability issues
Known problems
License and disclaimer

The Tclgestalt Tcl extension implements the MacOS Gestalt() function as a Tcl command called [gestalt]: this makes this ToolBox function accessible from Tcl scripts. This command is specific to the Mac OS system. This file documents version 1.1.

Synopsis

gestalt selector

The selector argument is a four characters string. The Tcl interpreter returns an integer value which has to be interpreted (see examples below). Possible values for the selector codes are listed in the tables below.

Description

This command implements the Gestalt() function used in the Mac OS ToolBox to get information about the state of a machine, its components etc. The Gestalt function allows you to determine the hardware and software configurations so an application can fully exploit whatever environment it is running in. When your script calls the [gestalt] Tcl command, it passes a selector code (or selector) as a parameter to specify the information it needs. Your script can call the [gestalt] command to determine :

the versions and features of various other managers and drivers
the type of floating-point unit (FPU), if any
the type of memory management unit (MMU), if any
the amount of available RAM
the amount of available virtual memory
the version of the A/UX operating system, if it's running
the type of keyboard
the model of computer
the version number of the System file
the type of central processing unit (CPU)
etc.

Gestalt selectors and their meanings

Here is some information, found in the old Inside Macintosh documentation, about the different categories of values returned by the Gestalt() function.

Attribute: A range of 32 bits, the meanings of which are defined by a list of constants. Bit 0 is the least significant bit of the long word.
Count: A number indicating how many of the indicated type of item exist.
Size: A size, usually in bytes.
Table: The base address of a table.
Type: An index to a list of feature descriptions.
Version: A version number, which can be either a constant with a defined meaning or an actual version number, usually stored as four hexadecimal digits in the low-order word of the return value. Implied decimal points may separate digits. The value $0701, for example, returned in response to the gestaltSystemVersion selector, represents system software version 7.0.1.

For a complete description of all the selector codes and of the meaning of the returned value, please refer to : Technical Publications/mac/pdf/Operating_System_Utilities/Gestalt_Manager.pdf

Interpreting gestalt responses

The meaning of the value that Gestalt returns in the response parameter depends on the selector code with which it was called. For example, if you call Gestalt using the gestaltTimeMgrVersion selector, it returns a version code in the response parameter. In this case, a returned value of 3 indicates that the extended Time Manager is available.
In most cases, the last few characters in the selector's symbolic name form a suffix that indicates what type of value you can expect Gestalt to place in the response parameter. For example, if the suffix in a Gestalt selector is Size, then Gestalt returns a size in the response parameter.
Selectors that have the suffix Attr deserve special attention. They cause Gestalt to return a bit field that your application must interpret to determine whether a desired feature is present. To determine whether a particular feature is available, you need to look at the designated bit.
You get different kinds of information from Gestalt by passing selectors from two kinds of Apple-defined selector codes:

environmental selectors return information your application can use to guide its actions
informational selectors return information that cannot be used to determine whether a feature is available

Environmental selectors

gestaltAddressingModeAttr	`'addr'`	addressing-mode attributes
gestaltAliasMgrAttr	`'alis'`	Alias Manager attributes
gestaltAppleEventsAttr	`'evnt'`	Apple events attributes
gestaltAppleTalkVersion	`'atlk'`	old format AppleTalk version
gestaltATalkVersion	`'atkv'`	new format AppleTalk version
gestaltAUXVersion	`'a/ux'`	A/UX version, if present
gestaltCFMAttr	`'cfrg'`	Code Fragment Manager attributes
gestaltCloseViewAttr	`'BSDa'`	CloseView attributes
gestaltComponentMgr	`'cpnt'`	Component Manager version
gestaltCompressionMgr	`'icmp'`	Image Compression Manager version
gestaltConnMgrAttr	`'conn'`	Connection Manager attributes
gestaltCRMAttr	`'crm '`	Communication Resource Manager attributes
gestaltCTBVersion	`'ctbv'`	Communication Toolbox version
gestaltDBAccessMgrAttr	`'dbac'`	Data Access Manager attributes
gestaltDictionaryMgrAttr	`'dict'`	Dictionary Manager attributes
gestaltDisplayMgrAttr	`'dply'`	Display Manager atributes
gestaltDisplayMgrVers	`'dplv'`	Display Manager version
gestaltDITLExtAttr	`'ditl'`	Dialog Manager extensions
gestaltDragMgrAttr	`'drag'`	Drag Manager attributes
gestaltEasyAccessAttr	`'easy'`	Easy Access attributes
gestaltEditionMgrAttr	`'edtn'`	Edition Manager attributes
gestaltExtToolboxTable	`'xttt'`	Toolbox trap dispatch table info
gestaltFinderAttr	`'fndr'`	Finder attributes
gestaltFindFolderAttr	`'fold'`	FindFolder attributes
gestaltFirstSlotNumber	`'slt1'`	first physical slot
gestaltFontMgrAttr	`'font'`	Font Manager attributes
gestaltFPUType	`'fpu '`	floating-point unit (FPU) type
gestaltFSAttr	`'fs '`	file system attributes
gestaltFXfrMgrAttr	`'fxfr'`	File Transfer Manager attributes
gestaltHelpMgrAttr	`'help'`	Help Manager attributes
gestaltIconUtilitiesAttr	`'icon'`	Icon Utilities attributes
gestaltKeyboardType	`'kbd '`	keyboard type code
gestaltLogicalPageSize	`'pgsz'`	logical page size
gestaltLogicalRAMSize	`'lram'`	logical RAM size
gestaltLowMemorySize	`'lmem'`	size of low memory
gestaltMiscAttr	`'misc'`	miscellaneous attributes
gestaltMixedModeVersion	`'mixd'`	MixedMode version
gestaltMMUType	`'mmu '`	MMU type
gestaltNativeCPUtype	`'cput'`	native CPU type
gestaltNotificationMgrAttr	`'nmgr'`	Notification Manager attributes
gestaltNuBusConnectors	`'sltc'`	NuBus connector bitmap
gestaltNuBusSlotCount	`'nubs'`	number of logical NuBus slots
gestaltOSAttr	`'os '`	Operating System attributes
gestaltOSTable	`'ostt'`	base address of Operating System trap dispatch table
gestaltParityAttr	`'prty'`	parity attributes
gestaltPCXAttr	`'pcxg'`	PC exchange attributes
gestaltPhysicalRAMSize	`'ram '`	physical RAM size
gestaltPopupAttr	`'pop!'`	pop-up `'CDEF'` attributes
gestaltPowerMgrAttr	`'powr'`	Power Manager attributes
gestaltPPCToolboxAttr	`'ppc '`	Program-to-Program Communications (PPC) Toolboxattributes
gestaltProcessorType	`'proc'`	microprocessor type code
gestaltQuickdrawFeatures	`'qdrw'`	QuickDraw features
gestaltQuickdrawVersion	`'qd '`	QuickDraw version
gestaltQuickTimeVersion	`'qtim'`	QuickTime version
gestaltRealTimeMgrAttr	`'rtmr'`	Realtime Manager attributes
gestaltResourceMgrAttr	`'rsrc'`	Resource Manager attributes
gestaltScrapMgrAttr	`'scra'`	Scrap Manager attributes
gestaltScriptCount	`'scr#'`	number of active script systems
gestaltScriptMgrVersion	`'scri'`	Script Manager version
gestaltSerialAttr	`'ser '`	serial hardware attributes
gestaltSlotAttr	`'slot'`	slot attributes
gestaltSoundAttr	`'snd '`	sound attributes
gestaltSpeechAttr	`'ttsc'`	Speech Manager attributes
gestaltStandardFileAttr	`'stdf'`	Standard File attributes
gestaltStdNBPAttr	`'nlup'`	StandardNBP attributes
gestaltSysArchitecture	`'sysa'`	Native System Architecture
gestaltTEAttr	`'teat'`	TextEdit attributes
gestaltTermMgrAttr	`'term'`	Terminal Manager attributes
gestaltTextEditVersion	`'te '`	TextEdit version code
gestaltThreadMgrAttr	`'thds'`	Thread Manager attributes
gestaltTimeMgrVersion	`'tmgr'`	Time Manager version code
gestaltToolboxTable	`'tbtt'`	base address of Toolbox trap dispatch table
gestaltTranslationAttr	`'xlat'`	Translation Manager attributes
gestaltTSMgrVersion	`'tsmv'`	Text Services Manager version
gestaltVersion	`'vers'`	Gestalt version
gestaltVMAttr	`'vm '`	virtual memory attributes

Informational selectors

gestaltHardwareAttr	`'hdwr'`	hardware attributes
gestaltMachineIcon	`'micn'`	machine `'ICON'`/`'cicn'` resource ID
gestaltMachineType	`'mach'`	Macintosh model code
gestaltROMSize	`'rom '`	ROM size
gestaltROMVersion	`'romv'`	ROM version
gestaltSystemVersion	`'sysv'`	System file version number

Examples

Here are a few examples and their interpretation. Results may vary on different implementations. If the following command

gestalt sysv

returns the value 2144, this is hexadecimal 0x860 : this means that version 8.6.0 of the system is installed.
If the command

gestalt evnt

returns 7, this is binary 111 : the three first low bits are set which means that the Apple Event Manager is present, that there is scripting support and that OSL is in the system.
If the command

gestalt "te  "

returns 5, it means that TextEdit TE5 is present.

Portability issues

The [gestalt] command is useful only on Mac OS.

Known problems

Please e-mail any problem or bug you encounter: <bdesgraupes@users.sourceforge.net>
The official web page is here.

License and disclaimer

Tclgestalt is distributed under the same BSD License as the Tcl language itself: see the file License_terms in the distribution or the Open Source Initiative site.

Last updated 2019-11-21 15:36:43