Structure of a Typical API Call

A typical API call contains the following:

• A keyword that addresses the call either to LAN Server or to an OS/2 function. This keyword usually is one of the following:

  Net

  Invokes a LAN Server function.
  Dos
  Invokes an OS/2 operating system function (except for the Mailslot Category).
  Spl
  Invokes spooler functions.
  UPM
  Invokes a User Profile Management (UPM) function.
  
  A keyword that identifies the function category.

  For example, User identifies a function that controls user accounts, and Alert identifies a message alert function. The category identifier can be compound, such as ServerDisk (specifies a function on the server disk) or PrintQ (specifies a printer queue function).

  
  A keyword that describes the action to be performed.

  Examples include Add, Del, Read, and Purge.

  
  An optional keyword that sometimes is used to identify the object upon which the action is to be performed.

  For example, NetPrintQPurgeSelf deletes only the queued print jobs submitted by the application requesting the purge, whereas NetPrintQPurge deletes all queued print jobs from the specified queue.

  
  One or more parameters in parentheses () that provide specific information about the operation to be performed.

  Parameters specify which data structure to use (if there is one) and provide other details applicable to a particular API. Some parameters that are used commonly with many APIs are defined in Definitions and Conventions. Exceptions or unique parameters are defined where they occur in this book.

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