Desktop Naming Conventions

The Common Desktop Environment uses naming conventions similar to those used by X and Motif. Desktop clients, desktop libraries, and other desktop components share a common prefix for externally visible names: dt, Dt, or DT. Private desktop structures, functions, and defines (found in the Common Desktop Environment code; not for developer use) have an _dt, _Dt, or _DT prefix. Table 3-1 lists the desktop naming conventions.

Table 3-1 Desktop Naming Conventions

Name	Prefix	Example
Desktop clients and utilities	dt	dthelpview
Resource names and classes	Dt	DtNhelpType, DtCHelpType
Library names	Dt	libDtHelp
Include references	Dt	#include <Dt/Help.h>
Public function names	Dt	DtCreateHelpDialog
Public data structure names	Dt	DtHelpDialogCallbackStruct
Constant names	Dt	DtHELP_NEW_WINDOW
Environment variables	DT	DTHELPSEARCHPATH
Private desktop symbols (structures, functions, defines)	_dt, _Dt, _DT	_DtHelpFunction, _DtHELP_DEFINE

Table 3-2 lists the exceptions to the preceding naming conventions.

Table 3-2 Exceptions to Desktop Naming Conventions

Name	Prefix	Example
Common Desktop Environment Motif	Xm	XmCreateLabel
dtksh Convenience Functions	Dtksh	DtkshAddButtons
ToolTalk Messaging Service	tt (for functions) Tt (for typedefs)  TT (for constants)	tt_open Tt_message  TT_NOTICE
X11R5	X, Xt	XOpenDisplay, XtCreateWidget

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Caution -

Do not use the prefixes dt, Dt, DT, _dt, _Dt, _DT, Xm, tt, Tt, TT, X, or Xt to define new symbols in your application code. If you do, you might define one that has already been defined--or might be defined in the future--in the Common Desktop Environment, ToolTalk, X11R5, or Motif code.

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