API naming conventions
Program-based APIs and service-program-based APIs follow similar naming conventions.
Except for the APIs that are defined by formal standards organizations (for example, UNIX-type APIs), an API name starts with the letter Q, followed by 2, 3, or 4 letters that comprise an internal component identifier. The last part of the API name identifies the action or function of the API.
The
following table contains all of the verbs that are either part of an API name
or are implied verbs associated with an API name.
| Verb | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| access | access |
| Add | ADD, Add |
| Change | C, CHG, Chg, ch |
| Check | C, CHK, CHECK |
| Clear | CLR, Clr |
| Close | CLO, close |
| Complete | Cmp |
| Control | CTL |
| Convert | CVT, CVRT, Convert |
| Copy | CPY, Cpy |
| Create | CRT, Crt, create |
| Customize | CST |
| Delete | DLT, Dlt |
| Deregister | DRG, Deregister |
| Disable | D |
| Display | DSP, Dsp |
| Dump | DMP, Dump |
| duplicate | dup |
| Edit | EDT |
| Enable | E |
| End | END, End |
| Execute (run) | EXC, EXEC |
| Filter | FTR |
| Force | FRC |
| Generate | GEN |
| Get (fetch) | G, GET, Get, get |
| Initialize | Inz |
| Insert | Ins |
| link | link |
| List | L, LST, List |
| Lock/unlock | LUL |
| make | mk |
| Map | Map |
| Maximize | Mxz |
| Move | MOV, Mov |
| Open | OPN, open |
| Pad | Pad |
| PRT, Prt | |
| Put | PUT, Put |
| PutGet | PutGet |
| Query | Q, QRY, Qry |
| Read | RD, Read, read |
| Receive | R, RCV, RECV |
| Register | RG, REG, R, Register |
| Release | RLS |
| Remove | RMV, Rmv, Remove, rm |
| Rename | RNM, rename |
| Report | Report |
| Resend | RSN |
| Reserve | Reserve |
| Restore | RST, Rst, Restore |
| reset | rewind |
| Resize | Rsz |
| Retrieve | R, RTV, Rtv, Retrieve |
| Roll | Roll |
| Save | SAV, Sav, Save |
| Scan for | SCAN |
| Send | S, SND, SEND, Send |
| Set | SET, Set |
| Shift | Shf |
| Start | Start, STR, Str |
| Submit | Submit |
| Switch | Set |
| Test | T |
| Toggle | Tgl |
| Transform | T |
| Translate | TR, TRN, XLATE |
| truncate | truncate |
| Unregister | U |
| Update | UPD |
| Validate | V |
| Work with | WK, WRK, Wrk |
| Write | WRT, Wrt, write, W |