expect vs tcl , what is better for automation tasks

Question

I want to make automation script like

1. auto rpm installation
2. long packages installation ( pkgs list with many question in the progress )
3. auto answering on application installation questions

What is better for this task tcl or expect ?

what is uniq in tcl and better from expect?

Synod

Expect is an extension of Tcl. You can give a try with autoexpect. – Thracophrygian

can you give more details? – Synod

What OS, specifically? Solaris allows for complete automated installation without using add-on tools such as expect. See man pkgask, for example (docs.oracle.com/cd/E23823_01/html/816-5166/pkgask-1m.html). – Polestar

Answer 1

Expect is actually just Tcl plus a few extra commands (notably spawn, expect and send) and it is designed for automating things. Tcl's just a programming language that's designed for making scriptable tools with.

Given that, for automating RPM installation (especially when there's quite a few interactive questions) the right choice is definitely Expect. Just remember: you can use the power of Tcl inside Expect where you need it. You've got a full programming language available to you. That lets you do really complicated stuff if you're inventive…

Kowalewski

The one thing that Expect isn't good at is automating GUI applications. It only automates things in terminals. – Kowalewski

you mean that - I can write real tcl command in to expect script inside? – Synod

You can use Tcl commands in an Expect script. Expect is exactly Tcl plus a package of commands (called Expect) that add the subprocess automation features. – Kowalewski