[fpc-pascal] standard unit description -- builtin funcs & procs

[Michael Van Canneyt]

On Thu, 6 May 2010, spir ☣ wrote:

> Hello,
>
> It seems, maybe, that most people using freepascal actually come from a
> different environment (esp Delphi) with all needed knowledge about (a
> dialect of) the language itself, here in fact Pascal *and* object Pascal;
> and also about its major utilities (& common libraries).  How do *real*
> newcomers manage to get this knowledge?
>
> The FAQ states: 20.  Standard units To see the list of base units supplied
> with Free Pascal, and on which platform they are supported, consult the
> Free Pascal user's manual.  There is also a short description of what each
> unit does in the same section of the manual.

It refers to this page:

http://www.freepascal.org/docs-html/user/userch9.html

> But I'm too stupid to find the mentionned description. The user manual
> only holds a plain list of units (not pointers to descriptions elsewhere).

Of course not, this is not what the list is for. The list is mainly meant
for programmers coming from TP/Delphi to show what they can expect.

> The reference manual does not hold anything about standard units.  The
> programmer manual is all about the compiler itself.  Or am I blind?  Where
> to find a how to use them?

The RTL guide contains the documentation of all the units mentioned
in the above pages:

http://www.freepascal.org/docs-html/rtl/index.html

the FCL guide documents the class-based units:

http://www.freepascal.org/docs-html/fcl/index.html

All these pages are referenced from

http://www.freepascal.org/docs.var

So I am kind of surprised to hear that you didn't find them.

>
> Ditto about builtin functions & procedures. I found by chance an older ref
> manual (version 1.0.8 -- may 2003) at
> http://www2.toki.or.id/fpcdoc/ref/ref.html that holds a desc of funcs &
> procs.  But I don't know how up-to-date it is.  This part has disappeared
> from current ref.

Not really. It has simply moved to the RTL guide, where it belongs.
The reference guide only describes the pascal language.

All builtin functions are described in the system unit. 
The system unit is included implicitly in all programs.

Michael.