ENCLOSURE (1) to COMDTINST 5230.59
DECEMBER 1999
U.S. Coast Guard Common Operating Environment (USCG COE)
the disposition of platforms of interest.
3.4.8. On-line Help Services.
The Online Help Services functional element provides applications with a uniform
technique for displaying context-sensitive help.
3.4.9. Data Access Services.
The Data Access Services functional element is part of SHADE and provides
applications with common data-access methods procedures, and tools.
An API is the interface between an enterprise application and the underlying platform
services. An API specifies the mapping between program syntax and the features of a specific
service, and thereby provides access to that service from applications written in a particular
programming language, when the application is bound to the service by the language
implementation. Standards- based API calls provide a level of application portability and
independence from the underlying platform services.
Developers use APIs to request the services of the common system components such as
directories, file transfers, E-mail, remote database access, etc. APIs are the means of accessing
the service elements of all CG network and platform services. Standards-based APIs will be
documented through the USCG COE management process and incorporated in a future
revision of the COE.
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