API terminology
Before using the IBM® i APIs, you need to understand several terms that refer to IBM i objects.
The system-recognized identifiers are shown in parentheses.
Note: Each
term does not apply to every API.
- binding directory (*BNDDIR)
- An object that contains a list of names of modules and service programs.
- data queue (*DTAQ)
- An object that is used to communicate and store data used by several programs in a job or between jobs.
- module (*MODULE)
- An object that is made up of the output of the compiler.
- program (*PGM)
- A sequence of instructions that a computer can interpret and run. A program can contain one or more modules.
- service program (*SRVPGM)
- An object that packages externally supported callable routines into a separate object.
- user index (*USRIDX)
- An object that provides a specific order for byte data according to the value of the data.
- user queue (*USRQ)
- An object consisting of a list of messages that communicate information to other application programs. Only programming languages that can use machine interface (MI) instructions can access *USRQ objects.
- user space (*USRSPC)
- An object consisting of a collection of bytes used for storing any user-defined information.