Using the documentation

The HTML version of the guide is compatible with any Web browser supporting tables and stylesheets, including Netscape 6.01 and higher, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 and higher, and Opera 5.0 and higher.

Documentation conventions

Various typographic styles are used throughout the guide. Some styles are used to improve readability, for example, to highlight code fragments, intended user input, literal filenames; or other quoted text; other styles are used to flag restrictions and general applicability of text. Link styles are used for hypertext navigation.

Style

Type

File | Open

Application text and menus.

aVariable, Push()

Code.

note this

Emphasised text containing unusual or surprising information.

e32std.h

A file or directory name.

toolband

A term which is defined in the glossary.

dir

Text to be entered by the user.

ALT+A

Key name.

NUMED

Resource name, structure, or resource structure member.

syntax

Syntax element in syntax diagrams and descriptions.

Warning

Warning about an issue.

BNF grammars

Backus-Naur Form (BNF) is used for describing language and command syntax, for example:

select-statement : SELECT select-list FROM table-name [ restriction ] [ ordering ]

restriction : WHERE search-condition

ordering : ORDER BY sort-order

A BNF definition states that the named item given before the colon is written as described after the colon. For example, an ordering is written as ORDER BY followed by a sort-order (which may be defined elsewhere).

BNF expression

What it means

named-construction : expression

Declares that a named-construction is written as expression.

named-construction : expression1 | expression2

Declares that a named-construction is written as either expression1 or expression2.

word

The word word, written literally.

exp1 exp2

exp1 followed by exp2.

[ exp ]

exp is optional.

[ exp1 | exp2 ]

Either exp1 or exp2 or nothing.

exp+

expression, repeated one or more times.

exp*

expression, repeated zero, one or more times.

Navigating the documentation

The guide has navigable table of contents, and allows full-text searching. The search facility allows searching for words, phrases, and boolean combinations of terms.

The Contents pane shows the structure of the complete document set and can be used to navigate to the individual topics.

Further information

For information on Symbian platform APIs, refer to Symbian Developer Library delivered with the Symbian platform kits.