Informix JDBC Driver Programmer's Guide Introduction

This section describes the conventions that this manual uses. These conventions make it easier to gather information from this and other volumes in the documentation set:

• Typographical conventions
• Icon conventions

This manual uses the following conventions to introduce new terms, describe command syntax, and so forth.

Convention	Meaning
KEYWORD	All primary elements in a programming language statement (keywords) appear in uppercase letters in a serif font.
italics italics italics	Within text, new terms and emphasized words appear in italics. Within syntax and code examples, variable values that you are to specify appear in italics.
boldface boldface	Names of program entities (such as classes, events, and tables), environment variables, file and pathnames, and interface elements (such as icons, menu items, and buttons) appear in boldface.
monospace monospace	Information that the product displays and information that you enter appear in a monospace typeface.
Keystroke	Keys that you are to press appear in uppercase letters in a sans serif font.
	This symbol indicates the end of product- or platform-specific information.
	This symbol indicates a menu item. For example, "Choose Tools Options" means choose the Options item from the Tools menu.

Tip: When you are instructed to "enter" characters or to "execute" a command, immediately press RETURN after the entry. When you are instructed to "type" the text or to "press" other keys, no RETURN is required.

Tip: The text and many of the examples in this manual show routine and data type names in mixed lettercasing (uppercase and lowercase). Because Informix Dynamic Server is case insensitive, you do not need to enter routine names exactly as shown: you can use uppercase letters, lowercase letters, or any combination of the two.

Icon Conventions

Throughout the documentation, you will find text that is identified by several different types of icons. This section describes these icons.

Comment icons identify three types of information, as the following table describes. This information always appears in italics.

Icon	Label	Description
	Warning:	Identifies paragraphs that contain vital instructions, cautions, or critical information
	Important:	Identifies paragraphs that contain significant information about the feature or operation that is being described
	Tip:	Identifies paragraphs that offer additional details or shortcuts for the functionality that is being described

Platform icons identify paragraphs that contain platform-specific information.

Icon	Description
	Identifies information that is specific to the UNIX environment.
	Identifies information that is specific to the Windows environment.

These icons can apply to a row in a table, one or more paragraphs, or an entire section. A symbol indicates the end of the platform-specific information.