KnowledgeBase Archive

An Archive of Early Microsoft KnowledgeBase Articles

View on GitHub

Q93230: Windows APPC for 16 and 32-Bit Windows

Article: Q93230
Product(s): Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit
Version(s): WINDOWS:3.1
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbfile kbnetwork kbsample kbAPI kbSDKPlatform kbOSWin310 kbGrpDSNet
Last Modified: 12-NOV-1999

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Windows Software Development Kit (SDK) 3.1 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY
=======

Windows APPC defines a standard and consistent API for the 16 and 32-bit
versions of the Microsoft Windows graphical environment. It encompasses a set of
Windows-specific extensions designed to allow the programmer to take advantage
of the message-driven nature of the Windows graphical environment.

MORE INFORMATION
================

The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Software
Library:

  WinAPPC.exe
  (http://support.microsoft.com/download/support/mslfiles/WinAPPC.exe)

For more information about downloading files from the Microsoft Software Library,
please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

  Q119591 How to Obtain Microsoft Support Files from Online Services


This API has been designed and specified to provide a standard to which
application developers can program and network software vendors can conform.
These API details constitute documentation for application software developers
and a specification for network software vendors.

Network software that conforms to this Windows APPC specification will be
considered "Windows APPC compliant." To be Windows APPC compliant, a vendor must
implement 100 percent of this Windows APPC specification. Suppliers of such
interfaces shall be referred to as "Windows APPC suppliers."

Applications that are capable of exploiting any Windows APPC implementation will
be considered as having a "Windows APPC interface" and will be referred to as
"Windows APPC applications."

The purpose of this document is to specify the Windows APPC interface. It is
assumed that the reader has a basic understanding APPC concepts.

While this is one of the WinSNA APIs to be standardized for the Windows
environment, it is beyond the scope of this document to deal with other SNA
(Systems Network Architecture) APIs.

Microsoft Windows Graphical Environment and Windows-Specific
Extensions
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

This API has been designed for ALL implementations and versions of the Windows
environment from and including version 3.0. It thus provides for Windows APPC
implementations and Windows APPC applications in both 16- and 32-bit operating
environments.

Windows APPC makes provisions for multithreaded Windows-based processes. A
process contains one or more threads of execution. In the Win16 non-
multithreaded world, a task corresponds to a process with a single thread. All
references to threads in this document refer to actual "threads" in
multithreaded Windows environments. In non-multithreaded environments (such as
version 3.0), use of the term thread refers to a Windows process.

The extensions to the Windows environment included in Windows APPC are provided
for maximum programming compatibility between Windows 3.x and Windows NT and
optimum application performance in both environments.

Additional query words: SNASpec

======================================================================
Keywords          : kbfile kbnetwork kbsample kbAPI kbSDKPlatform kbOSWin310 kbGrpDSNet 
Technology        : kbAudDeveloper kbWin3xSearch kbSDKSearch kbWinSDKSearch kbWinSDK310
Version           : WINDOWS:3.1

=============================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1986-2002.