Documentation conventions in About the Symbian OS Library

This topic describes the design and typographic conventions used in this edition of the Symbian OS Library.

Various typographic styles are used throughout the Symbian OS Library. Some styles are used to make text easier to understand, 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 also used for hypertext navigation. Note that reference documentation uses a limited range of available styles.

Style	Type
`File \| Open`	Application text and menus.
`aVariable`, `Push()`	Code.
note this	Emphasised text containing unusual or surprising information.
`e32std.h`	Name of a file or directory.
toolband	A term which is defined in the glossary.
`dir`	Input text to enter.
`ALT+A`	Key names.
`NUMED`	Resource name, resource struct, or resource struct member.
`syntax`	Syntax element in syntax diagrams and descriptions.
Warning	Warning of an important issue.

UML diagrams are used to describe relationships between classes and/or objects. Most classes in these diagrams link to the corresponding section in the API Reference. The following UML notations are used:

Notation	Description
	Concrete Class.
	Abstract Class.
	Example Class. These are called "Implementation" in Implementation diagrams and "Client" in Usage diagrams.
	Interface or class acting as an interface.
	Package. These are used to denote APIs, subsystems or DLLs.
	Lists the class immediately above the current class, which is not included in the diagram.
	Shows derivation between classes.
	Denotes a relationship between objects.
	Specifies that an object/class can have none or up to one type of relationship with another object/class.
	Implies an aggregated relationship between objects.

Backus-Naur Form (BNF) grammars are used as a tool 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.

Documentation conventions

Overview

Styles

UML notations

BNF grammars