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Application Programming Interface
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An Application Programming Interface (API) is a set of definitions of the ways in which one piece of computer software communicates with another. It is a method of achieving abstraction, usually (but not necessarily) between lower-level and higher-level software. One of the primary purposes of an API is to provide a set of commonly-used functions—for example, to draw windows or icons on the screen. Programmers can then take advantage of the API by making use of its functionality, saving them the task of programming everything from scratch. APIs themselves are abstract: software which provides a certain API is often called the implementation of that API.
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An Application Programming Interface (API) is the technology that facilitates the exchange of data between two or more different computer programs or applications. The API is the virtual interface between two interworking software functions, such as a word processor and a spreadsheet. The software which provides the functionality described by the API is said to be an implementation of the API. The API itself is abstract, as it is an interface.
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An Application Programming Interface (API) defines how programmers utilize a particular computer feature. APIs exist for windowing systems, file systems, database systems, and, of course, networking systems. For the UNIX-based Internet programmer, three major APIs are of interest: Berkeley Sockets, System V TLI, and RPC. Sockets and TLI provide pretty much the same functionality (access to TCP and UDP) and are mutually exclusive, though it is possible to write conditionally-compiled code to support either. RPC's API (the RPC Language) supports network subroutines using Sun's RPC protocol. Microsoft Windows offers a Sockets-like API.
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Business Application Programming Interfaces (BAPIs) enable access to SAP functions across formal, stable and dialog-free interfaces. These interfaces can be used by external applications developed by customers and complementary software partners as well as by other SAP applications. BAPIs are defined as API methods of SAP Business Object Types [Ext.]. These object types are used within the Business Framework to enable object-based communication between components. Business objects and their BAPIs enable object orientation to be used in central information processing in companies. For example, existing functions and data can be reused, trouble-free technical interoperability can be achieved, and non-SAP components can be implemented.
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Above demonstration sketches the essential core of the programming interface for developing interactive education sessions. Its essential characteristics is the SPMD style of control with focus on a single thread of control that manages many replicated instances of asynchronously executing processes from a leading process. Explicit synchronization takes place by waiting for specific signals from various instruments (e.g. from a monitor that emits signals with button names for every button pressed, or a a slide viewer that emits signals with slide names for every slide displayed).
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Many programming interfaces are the result of a compromise between the polar ideals of simplicity and versatility. Some... break the interface in two and pursue both goals independently. They keep the simple programming interface for many common programming tasks, but also provide a versatile interface for more unusual needs.
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Application Programming Interface