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<concept id="GUID-2DC89F9D-30E8-5260-8850-53E4152EE3CF" xml:lang="en"><title>Finding your way around</title><shortdesc>Read this page to learn about the contents and structure

of the library.</shortdesc><prolog><metadata><keywords/></metadata></prolog><conbody>

<section id="GUID-91A35BDC-92E4-47D6-8A04-C6E0C444C484"><title>The

platform structure and APIs</title> <p>The <xref href="GUID-32E29020-1956-461A-B79A-1492E06049E7.dita">Symbian Guide</xref> provides introductory documents to the platform as a whole, and

guides that describe the major areas of the platform in depth. </p><p>The Symbian platform is a large system, and contains hundreds

of C++ classes and thousands of member functions. Like most complex

systems, it is easiest to divide it into large areas, and gradually

to narrow your focus down to the areas that are most important to

your tasks. </p><p>The <xref href="http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Symbian_System_Model" scope="external">Symbian System Model</xref> organises the components

of the Symbian platform into a layered software architecture. The

guides in this library are also structured around this architecture.

The guides describe the key technology and architectural concepts

of the area, and show the key ways to use its classes.</p> <p>Note:

Before the System Model was introduced, the Symbian platform used

another architectural view based on large divisions called subsystems.

Some documentation has not yet been changed to use the System Model

rather than subsystems. </p> </section>

<section id="GUID-5C4DC90E-DB65-4EB7-B271-D64D5FC5A065"><title>Newcomers

to the Symbian platform</title> <p>For those developing on the Symbian

platform for the first time, the <xref href="GUID-35D7EEFC-B2E4-5444-8875-2A24790E08C2.dita">Essential Idioms</xref> section describes the distinctive programming idioms and conventions

of the Symbian platform. </p> </section>

<section id="GUID-0AA83743-82BC-473B-ABFD-20FFD6AB6485"><title>Examples</title> <p>The <xref href="GUID-270C96B0-4BDF-5A18-A8FE-FA4F78BB34EE.dita">Examples</xref> section gives instructions for building and using the large set

of C++ example projects that accompany the library. Projects include

examples that demonstrate the use of fundamental Symbian platform

classes, and many examples showing how to use particular Symbian platform

C++ APIs. </p> <p>Example code is provided for illustrative and demonstration

purposes, and should not be assumed to be useable as product code. </p></section>

<section id="GUID-F8410B90-5208-4E73-A4C1-FA951429403A"><title>Hardware integration</title> <p>The library provides the following guides related to hardware

integration. </p> <p><b> Kernel and Hardware Services guide</b> </p> <p>The <xref href="GUID-E3D2A6ED-8192-563D-8966-DD96B3AF1783.dita">Kernel

and Hardware Services Guide</xref> provides information for device

creators and silicon vendors who port the Symbian platform base to

new hardware. The porting process is explained through a Template

port. </p> <p><b> Device Driver guide</b> </p> <p>The <xref href="GUID-0437DB4C-FC4E-51DC-BB4C-95C0B26834F5.dita">Device Driver Guide</xref> contains information on writing device drivers to run on the Symbian

platform. It gives an overview that explains the device driver model

as used in the Symbian platform, and then goes on to explain what

you need to do in order to write a driver. </p> </section>

<section id="GUID-C5687256-B657-4D29-B280-1837D4F991AE"><title>Tools</title><p>The library does not include documentation for most tools, which

are usually delivered separately from the Symbian platform code. See

the <xref href="http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Category:Tools" scope="external">Tools</xref> section of the <xref href="http://developer.symbian.org/" scope="external">Symbian Developer

Community</xref> website.</p><p>The Tools section documents

the tools that are delivered with the platform. In particular, the

Build Tools Guide and the Build Tools Reference document the <cmdname>abld</cmdname>/<cmdname>bldmake</cmdname> (SBSv1) command line build

tools, and explain the project file formats. </p></section>