RE: What is an API?

Beyond what the acronym stands for I would add that it's an interface to the 'guts' of COTS (Commercial Off-The Shelf) packages. Two examples I have worked with personnally are

1. WinFax API - ships as a set of DLL's that allow you to interface directly to the WinFax OLE object so that you can send faxes programmatically...in my case it was faxing purchase orders from Maximo
2. PVCS API - allows you to directly interface to information contained in PVCS archive files

Other examples include one that ships with Financials, the Windows API's and others too numerous to mention. They usually ship as header files (.h) library files (.lib) as well as runtime (.DLL) files. The entry points are documented and you 'roll your own' from there.

HTH Jeff Herrick

On Wed, 28 Aug 2002, Jamadagni, Rajendra wrote:

> Application Programming Interface ...
>
> http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?String=exact
> <http://www.acronymfinder.com/af-query.asp?String=exact&Acronym=API>
> &Acronym=API
>
>
> I have read a lot about the term API. I have searched the web and
> documentation and cannot find "API" is an abbreviation for? And, I cannot
> find a definition of what an API is? If someone could help me on this I
> would appreciate it. All the documentation I have assumes that the reader
> knows what an API is.
>
> Thanks,
> Ken Janusz, CPIM
>
>

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