                                  APILOD.TXT

                            API Viewer Notes for 
             Microsoft (R) Visual Basic (R) Professional Edition
	                         Version 4.0

               (C) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 1995

========
Contents
========

Part   Description
----   -----------
1      API Viewer
2      Loading API Files
3      Converting Text Files to Jet Database Files
4      Viewing Declares, Constants, or Types
5      Adding Declares, Constants, or Types to Your Visual Basic Code
6      Menu Commands
      


==============
1.  API Viewer
==============
API Viewer allows you to browse through Declares, Constants, and Types that
are included in any text file or Jet database that contains API 
(Applications Programming Interface) information.  You can copy these 
items onto the Clipboard, and then paste them into your Visual Basic code. 

The Microsoft Visual Basic, Professional Edition, version 4.0 includes the 
WIN31API.TXT, WIN32API.TXT, and WINMMSYS.TXT API text files for the 
Microsoft Windows (TM) 3.1 and the Microsoft Win32 (R) (32-bit version only) 
interfaces.  

-  WIN31API.TXT contains Constants, Declares, and Types for 16-bit 
   versions of Windows API functions.
-  WIN32API.TXT contains Constants, Declares, and Types for 32-bit
   versions of Windows API functions.
-  WINMMSYS.TXT contains Constants, Declares, and Types  for Windows 3.1 
   multimedia API functions.


=====================
2.  Loading API Files
=====================
API Viewer can read either text files or Jet database files.  
To load a text API file, choose Load Text File from the File menu.  
To load a Jet database API file, choose Load Database File from the 
File menu.

Customizing the Command Line to Automatically Load a File
---------------------------------------------------------
You can specify a text or database file on the command line 
for APILOD16.EXE or APILOD32.EXE (the executable files for 
API Viewer) so that the file is automatically loaded when 
you start API Viewer.

You can use the following syntax:

APILOD{16|32}.EXE {/T|/D} filename

Part       Description
----       -----------
/T         API Viewer will load the file as a text file. /T must be 
           uppercase.

/D         API Viewer will load the file as a database file. /D must be
           uppercase.

filename   The path of the file you want to open.

There must be a space between /T or /D and filename.  An error message
will be displayed if the file is not found.  If you specify a file 
that is not a database or text file, an error message will 
be displayed when you try to load the file.

For example, you might enter the following command line for API Viewer 
in the Windows Program Item Properties dialog box (by choosing Properties
from the File menu):

C:\VB\WINAPI\APILOD32.EXE /D C:\VB\WINAPI\WIN32API.MDB


===============================================
3.  Converting Text Files to Jet Database Files
===============================================
To optimize speed, you can convert the text files that ship with Visual Basic
to Jet database files, since it is much faster to display the list when opening
a database than when opening a text file.

To convert the text file, choose the Load Text File command from the 
File menu, and open the appropriate .TXT file.  A message will appear asking 
if you want to convert the .TXT file to a database file.  Choose Yes to 
confirm the conversion.  If you choose No, later on, you can choose the 
Convert Text to Database command from the File menu to convert the text 
file to a database file.  After you convert a .TXT file to a Jet database, 
you should always load the database for best performance. 


=========================================
4.  Viewing Declares, Constants, or Types
=========================================
In the API Type drop-down list box, select Declares, Constants, or 
Types to view items in the Available Items list box.

To search for specific items in a Jet database API file, type the first 
letter of the item you want to find.  To search for specific items in a text 
API file, use the Search button.


==================================================================
5.  Adding Declares, Constants, or Types to Your Visual Basic Code
==================================================================
All of the items in the Selected Items box can be copied onto the Clipboard,
and then pasted into your Visual Basic code.  You can add an item 
to the Selected Items box by selecting an item in the Available Items box 
and then choosing the Add button.  To remove an entry from the Selected Items 
box, select the item, and then choose the Remove button.  

To copy the items from the Selected Items list box onto the Clipboard, simply 
choose the Copy button.  All of the items in the list will be copied.  
You can then open your Visual Basic project and the module in which you want
to place the API information, place the insertion point where 
you want to paste the declarations, constants, and/or types, and then 
choose Paste from the Edit menu.  


=================
6.  Menu Commands
=================

File Menu Commands
------------------
Load Text File............ Loads a text API file.

Load Database File........ Loads a Jet database API file that has been
                           created by converting the text file to a Jet
                           database (you can use the Convert Text to Database 
                           command to do this). 

Convert Text to Database.. Creates a Jet database that contains the text 
                           file's API information.  The database will load
                           much faster than the comparable text file.

Exit...................... Closes API Viewer.


Edit Menu Command
-----------------
Copy...................... Copies the highlighted item from the Available Items
                           box to the Selected Items box.
