ns stores a reference to every TclObject in the compiled hierarchy in a hash table; this permits quick access to the objects. The hash table is internal to the interpreter. ns uses the name of the TclObject as the key to enter, lookup, or delete the TclObject in the hash table.
It is used by []TclClass::create_shadow../Tcl/Tcl.ccTclClass::create_shadow to insert an object into the table, when that object is created.
It is used by []TclObject::lookup../Tcl/Tcl.hTclObject::lookup.
It is used by []TclClass::delete_shadow../Tcl/Tcl.ccTclClass::delete_shadow to remove an existing entry from the hash table, when that object is deleted.
Tom Henderson 2011-11-05