# Preface

This book describes the Common Desktop Environment (CDE) components, commands, and error messages of the ToolTalk® service.

In-depth information about the functionality of the ToolTalk service in general is beyond the scope of this book. That is, CDE ToolTalk Messaging Overview does not describe all ToolTalk APIs or commands, or other ToolTalk functionality not specifically related to this release of the ToolTalk service for the Common Desktop Environment. See the
ToolTalk Reference Manual and the
ToolTalk User's Guide for this information.

## Who Should Use This Book

This manual is for developers who create or maintain applications that use the ToolTalk service to inter‐operate with other applications in Common Desktop Environment . This manual assumes familiarity with ™ ]]>operating system commands, system administrator commands, and system terminology.

## How This Book Is Organized

This book is organized as follows:

`` TTUG.tttrc.mkr.1, describes how the ToolTalk service works and how it uses information that your application supplies to deliver messages; how applications use the ToolTalk service; and application and ToolTalk components.

`` TTUG.HTU.mkr.1, contains the information you need to write an application using the ToolTalk service in the Common Desktop Environment , including the kinds of ToolTalk toolkit messages that need to be included in your application in order for it to inter-operate with other ToolTalk-aware Common Desktop Environment-compliant applications.

`` TTUG.tttrc.mkr.1, describes how to create and send custom‐constructed ToolTalk messages, and also how to selectively monitor any or all ToolTalk messages.

`` TTUG.tttrc.mkr.1, describes how a ToolTalk pattern matches and delivers every message ttsession sees.

`` TTUG.MsgTk.mkr.1, describes some of the application program interface (API functions) that are a part of the messaging toolkit.

`` TTUG.BrCast.mkr.1, contains the source code for the ToolTalk demo program, `broadcast`.

Appendix C discusses writing thread-safe ToolTalk applications.

## Related Books and Other Documentation

CDE ToolTalk Messaging Overview does not provide in‐depth information about
ToolTalk and its functionality. In addition to the ToolTalk product base documentation (that is, ToolTalk User's Guide and the ToolTalk Reference Manual), the following related ToolTalk documentation provide in-depth information about the ToolTalk functionality that is beyond the
scope of this book:

- The ToolTalk Service - An Inter-Operability Solution (Published by SunSoft Press/PTR Prentice Hall, ISBN 013-088717-X)

  This book describes ToolTalk and its functionality in depth, and is appropriate for all platforms to which ToolTalk has been ported. It is available at your local bookstore or directly from PTR Prentice Hall.

- ToolTalk and Open Protocols by Astrid M. Julienne and Brian Holtz (Published by SunSoft Press/PTR Prentice Hall, ISBN 013-031055-7)

  This book describes how to create and develop open protocols for applications that use a messaging service to communicate with other applications. The general principles described in this book provide an application with the flexibility required for users to easily inter‐change tools. It is available at your local bookstore or directly from PTR Prentice Hall.

- ToolTalk Message Sets

  - ToolTalk
    Desktop Services Message Set

    These conventions apply to any tools in a POSIX or X11 environment. In addition to standard messages for these environments, the Desktop conventions define data types and error codes that apply to all of the ToolTalk inter‐client conventions.

  - ToolTalk
    Document and Media Exchange Message Set

    Allows a tool to be a container for arbitrary media, or to be a media player/editor that can be driven from such a container.

  - CASE Inter-Operability Message Set

    An open specification defining abstract, framework-neutral message interfaces for CASE set-up by Sunsoft, DEC, and SGI. This work has been merged with HP's CASE Communique work, which defined message interfaces for HP's SoftBench Broadcast Message Server framework, and was submitted as a joint draft to ANSI X3H6. As of this writing, ANSI X3H6 is still reviewing the joint submission draft. More information on the draft
    X3H6 standard can be retrieved from
    ftp.netcom.com, in
    /pub/X3H6; or you can contact:

X3 Secretariat
Computer and Business Equipment Manufactures Assoc 1250 Eye St NW Washington DC  20005-3922 Telephone: (202) 737-8888 (press `1' twice) Fax: (202) 638-4922 or (202) 628-2829

## ToolTalk News Group

The ToolTalk
news group is:

alt.soft-sys.tooltalk

## What DocBook SGML Markup Means

This book is written in the Structured Generalized Markup Language (SGML) using the DocBook Document Type Definition (DTD). The following table describes the DocBook markup used for various semantic elements.

## DocBook SGML Markup

`Markup Appearance` | `Semantic Element(s)` | `Example`
`AaBbCc123` | The names of commands. | Use the `ls` command to list files.
`AaBbCc123` | The names of command options. | Use `ls` `−a` to list all files.
AaBbCc123 | Command-line placeholder: replace with a real name or value. | To delete a file, type `rm` filename.
`AaBbCc123` | The names of files and directories. | Edit your `.login` file.
AaBbCc123 | Book titles, new words or terms, or words to be emphasized. | Read Chapter 6 in User's Guide. These are called class options. You must be root to do this.