Steps in a simple program

On most platforms, creating a simple Open Server application program involves these steps:

Step

Function

Routines

1

Set up the Open Server operating environment by allocating structures and setting global attributes, known as properties.

cs_ctx_alloc

srv_version

srv_props

2

Define error handling. Applications may install an error handling routine, which Open Server calls when it detects an error. Applications may also call the srv_sendinfo routine on an ad hoc basis to send error messages to the client, or srv_log to write to the log file. See “Errors” for details.

srv_props(SRV_S_ ERRHANDLE)

3

Initialize the server.

srv_init

4

Install event-handling routines, which Open Server calls when client commands trigger Open Server events. An Open Server application does most of its work inside its event-handling routines. Refer to “Open Server events” for more information.

srv_handle

5

Start the server running. In this state, the server simply listens for client requests.

srv_run

6

Clean up and exit.

cs_ctx_drop

The sample program in the following section demonstrates all but step 4; it does not install user-defined event handlers. Therefore, the default handlers will execute instead.