Application Programming Interface Part 2
RAID Recovery - Application Programming Interface
Microsoft Windows API
Windows API enables developers to develop programs compatible with Windows operating system and user interface. API eliminates the need to writing the code to create components for OS, such as forms, command buttons and menus. Instead, developers can call these functions in the appropriate Windows API and let the OS create those components.
Microsoft API consists of DLLs that make up the Windows operating system. DLLs contain functions, which can be called from any application running MS Windows. At run time, a function in a DLL is dynamically linked into an application that calls it. Windows API ensures that all applications running under Windows will behave in a consistent manner.
Different types of Windows API have been published for different versions of Windows OS. Win16 API is used in Windows 3.1. Win32 API is used in Microsoft Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 98 platforms.
Microsoft has also published APIs for other applications. For example, the Mail Application Programming Interface (MAPI) is a set of DLLs used to write e-mail applications.
Summary: An API is a set of published specifications that help in building software applications. A good API provides all the building blocks required for developing a program.
