Getting Started: Conventions used in this User Guide

To make this User Guide easier to use each chapter after this one will have a similar structure and formatting within the chapter. Each chapter is split into a number of pages, just as this one is, with navigation links at the bottom of each page.

Each chapter will start with an introduction describing its contents. Any other knowledge or chapters you need to know before reading the current chapter will be written after the introduction, in a "pre-requisites" section. Each chapter will end with a summary, refreshing your memory about the topics you have just learned about. Some chapters will conclude with exercises that you can try out and suggested solutions (although remember that they are only suggested solutions - there will be more ways to write the software).

As you progress through each chapter, various issues relating to the content of the chapters will be discussed. For example, a particular method for writing a piece of code will be described, followed by examples of that code and then a breakdown of the code into smaller chunks suitable for explanation. Each piece of example code, which you will be able to copy and paste into PureBasic to run it for yourself, will look similar to the example below:



This is what the examples of code will look like


If there are any important points raised during the discussion or explanations of ideas or code they will be highlighted like this:

Here is an important point that you should take note of!

You should see an icon with an exclamation mark and pair of glasses to the left of the text.

Images will be used throughout the User Guide to show you the output of the examples and anything else which is more easily described in pictures than in words.

In the descriptions and explanations of the PureBasic instructions something enclosed in square brackets [...] means that it is optional. Something enclosed in angular brackets <...> means that it is required and the text inside the brackets describes what it is.