The OS/2 API Project - Contribute!

OS/2 For a while, EMX programmers have known that there is no cheap source of API documentation available for OS/2. Other programmers have lamented that IBM's documentation is not the greatest. This is not the best of situations, since there isn't much point in having a freeware compiler if you can't figure out how to program with it. There are some really great books out there, but for those who cannot afford these, this project's aim is to document the whole OS/2 C API, including structures and messages. A secondary goal would be to improve on the documentation found elsewhere.

Contributions

Here is how we are doing it. Everyone who is willing to help get this going, mail me at timur@vnet.ibm.com and tell me which APIs you intend to do. I'll add them to the site, with your name after them. Choose interesting ones to start with, as well as the most commonly used ones. Make sure that you do not copy any published work verbatum, but rather, read it, understand it, and write it down yourself, using your own wording. It is vital for the integrity and life-span of the project that the wording not be copied from any published work. You get credit right on the API page that you put together, as well as on the Contributions page. You also become part of The OS/2 API Project, and can help make decisions if you like.

Write the APIs up in text format, and I'll convert to the HTML format. If you feel ambitious, write it directly in HTML using any of the existing pages as a template. If you do write it in HTML, be sure to follow the template closely to minimize work. If you have anything to add, topic-wise, mail me. Write them with the following headings (verbatum, on a separate line):

(API Name - do not actually write "API Name", just the name, case-sensitive)
Syntax (do not include the type here, just the syntax of a call)
Parameters (include type; you should note in brackets: input or output)
Returns
Include info
Usage explanation
Relevant structures
Gotchas
Sample code
See also
Author
Additions

If at all possible, please put items and their explanations on separate lines. This helps us to HTMLize and INFize it quicker, ie. do:

APIRET rc 0 SOME_ERROR This error is just right. rather than: APIRET rc - 0 SOME_ERROR This is not as good.

Let me know which APIs you want to write up, and I'll add your name to these APIs on the Index page so that we can avoid duplication. Make sure that you check first that noone has put their name on them already. When you finish them, send them to me, and I'll add them to the page. In fact, send them one by one as you get them done. This helps me to distribute the workload more evenly over my days.

NEW!

Someone recently sent me a short tutorial on how to use scroll bars, and this got me thinking that this API project could also easily house short tutorials on how to use everything under the sun, so if you have one written up for your own use, or feel like writing one, send it in.

Get going, and good luck!

Last modified June 22/1996
Please send all errors, comments, and suggestions to: timur@vnet.ibm.com

The OS/2 API Project - Contribute!

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The OS/2 API Project

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