Library tutorials & articles

API Programming Series #1

By Sreejath S. Warrier, published on 13 Jul 2002
Sreejath S. Warrier
Page 2 of 7
  1. Foreword
  2. So what's API
  3. Where does the API reside?
  4. How can we access API functions from VB?
  5. Why use the API when I can achieve most of the thi
  6. What are the cons?
  7. Conclusion

So what's API

If you have written programs for the Windows platform using Visual Basic (or Delphi or VC++ for that matter) then you have used the Win32 API, at least indirectly. Because, quite simply, any program you write for windows in VB, uses the Windows API. Each and every line of code you write is translated into corresponding API calls which the system uses to get the tasks done.

API (Application Programmers Interface) is a set of predefined Windows functions used to control the appearance and behaviour of every Windows element (from the outlook of the desktop window to the allocation of memory for a new process). Between them, these functions encapsulate the entire functionality of the Windows environment. So we can consider API as the native code of Windows. The other languages act as an attractive and often user-friendlier shell to the API promoting easier and automated access to it. An example is VB, which has replaced a sizeable portion of the API with its own functions. But every line of code written in VB is converted to its equivalent API calls.

Related tags

visual basic

Comments

  1. amiteshwar singh
    31 May 2007 at 18:41

    plz help me 4r api.gv some books on apiSad [:(]

  2. Praseeda
    09 Mar 2007 at 00:50

    The article is really valuble.It will give good exposure to Windows API

  3. hackaback
    19 Sep 2005 at 13:01

    hey ther, can anyone gve me an idea how to retrive the system's information in vb so that i could create a system dedicated application. or any other method

  4. Barry Whyte
    12 Mar 2003 at 19:38

    Look in the registry:


    For WinNT/2K (I assume this works on XP too...) 


    HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\Current Version\RegisteredOrganization



    You'll need to find a way to read this key as VB can't do it on it's own.  You can use API Routines Reg*.  Check msdn (http://msdn.microsoft.com/library) for more details.

  5. RT
    28 Nov 2002 at 09:36

    Hey
    just wondering if anyone has an advice for a problem tha i'm trying to solve:


    I need to make an API call from VBA within Excel to get information about the compnany that the machine is registered to.  I was wondering if anyones knows the DLL file it's in or any other way of getting this informmation into Excel


    Really appreciate anyone's input.


    Thanks RT

  6. fanen
    13 Jul 2002 at 09:04

    this looks quite promising, at least if he keeps goin' and wud be nice if he exposes some calls... for guys who want to expand their "Database"

  7. Developer Fusion Bot
    01 Jan 1999 at 00:00

    This thread is for discussions of API Programming Series #1.

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