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4<preface id='About_This_Manual'>
5<title>About This Manual</title>
6
7<para>
8X Toolkit Intrinsics &mdash; C Language Interface is intended to be read by both application programmers
9who will use one or more of the many widget sets built with the Intrinsics and by widget
10programmers who will use the Intrinsics to build widgets for one of the widget sets. Not all the
11information in this manual, however, applies to both audiences. That is, because the application
12programmer is likely to use only a number of the Intrinsics functions in writing an application and
13because the widget programmer is likely to use many more, if not all, of the Intrinsics functions
14in building a widget, an attempt has been made to highlight those areas of information that are
15deemed to be of special interest for the application programmer. (It is assumed the widget programmer
16will have to be familiar with all the information.) Therefore, all entries in the table of
17contents that are printed in <emphasis role='strong'>bold</emphasis> indicate the information that
18should be of special interest to an application programmer.
19</para>
20<para>
21It is also assumed that, as application programmers become more familiar with the concepts discussed
22in this manual, they will find it more convenient to implement portions of their applications
23as special-purpose or custom widgets. It is possible, nonetheless, to use widgets without
24knowing how to build them.
25</para>
26
27<bridgehead><emphasis role='strong'>Conventions Used in this Manual</emphasis></bridgehead>
28<para>This document uses the following conventions:</para>
29<itemizedlist spacing='compact'>
30  <listitem>
31    <para>
32Global symbols are printed in <function>this special font</function>. These can be either
33function names, symbols defined in include files, data types, or structure names. Arguments to
34functions, procedures, or macros are printed in italics.
35    </para>
36  </listitem>
37  <listitem>
38    <para>
39Each function is introduced by a general discussion that distinguishes it from other functions.
40The function declaration itself follows, and each argument is specifically explained.
41General discussion of the function, if any is required, follows the arguments.
42    </para>
43  </listitem>
44  <listitem>
45    <para>
46To eliminate any ambiguity between those arguments that you pass and those that a function
47returns to you, the explanations for all arguments that you pass start with the word
48specifies or, in the case of multiple arguments, the word specify. The explanations for all
49arguments that are returned to you start with the word <emphasis>returns</emphasis> or, in
50the case of multiple arguments, the word <emphasis>return</emphasis>.
51    </para>
52  </listitem>
53</itemizedlist>
54</preface>
55