Using the API Reference

The API Reference systematically documents Symbian OS. It is intended to be comprehensive and exhaustive and evolves as the underlying OS evolves. This edition is current to Version 7.0s, and substantially documents the public OS. Periodic updates will be made available through the Symbian Developer Network.

The reference contains two major sections, the C++ API reference and the System panic reference, described below.

C++ API reference

The C++ API reference describes the C++ types that provide operating system services to programs.

The documentation groups the operating system's C++ items into logical categories called APIs. The reference is organised as a single flat list ordered alphabetically by API name. Within each API topic, a reference page for each public API item is provided, organised alphabetically. A Quick reference page at the start of the reference lists each API, its header file and library location, and provides a link to the full API reference documentation for that API.

A reference page provides details of the item including header file and library location; support information, indicating the release in which the item was introduced (or, in rare cases, withdrawn); derivation information, organised alphabetically; an alphabetical list of class members; and a description of each member.

System panic reference

The System panic reference documents the panics that system components can produce. A panic is an error code raised by a component in response to a programming error, such as passing an illegal parameter value. A panic terminates the thread calling the function, on in the case of server programs, which perform functions on behalf of other threads, the client thread making the illegal request.

A panic consists of a category, a string that typically indicates the component that is producing the panic, and a reason code, a number indicating the cause of the panic. The reference has a page for each panic category; each page contains a table of possible reason codes for that category.