Throughout this manual, 16-bit Windows refers to the Microsoft Windows and the Windows for Workgroups operating systems unless a distinction is otherwise specified. Windows NT and Windows 95 are 32-bit operating systems. 16-bit Visual C++® refers to the Visual C++ development system (16-bit), and 32-bit Visual C++ refers to theVisual C++ development system (32-bit).
Throughout this manual, the conventions that are listed in the following table are used to distinguish elements of text.
| Convention | Purpose |
| Bold | Represents program names, C commands, required syntax, and values. |
| Italic | Represents SQL datatypes and user-defined defaults. |
| Monospace | Represents examples, screen output, program code, and error messages. |
| UPPERCASE | Represents filenames, paths, and statements. You can, however, type entries in any combination of uppercase or lowercase letters. |
| braces ({ }) | Represents required items in syntax statements. Required information is contained within the braces and does not include the braces themselves. |
| brackets ([ ]) | Represents optional items in syntax statements. Optional information is contained within the brackets and does not include the brackets themselves. |
| vertical bar ( | ) | Separates items that are contained within braces or brackets. The vertical bar means you must choose one and only one item. |
| ellipsis ( ... ) | Indicates that the variable that precedes the ellipsis can be specified more than once. |