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The Reference Library is a comprehensive collection of Apple technical resources, including Articles, Guides, Reference, Release Notes, Sample Code, Technical Notes, and Technical Q&As. Each of the links below leads to the resources for a specific topic.

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CFNetServices Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the C API for implementing Bonjour functionality in an application.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-07-08
CFNetwork Error Codes Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes error codes used by the CFNetwork API.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-10-15
CFNetwork Framework Release Notes (HTML)
Core Foundation Release Notes 2007-10-31
CFNetwork Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use Core Foundation networking functions to work with low-level BSD sockets.
Core Foundation Guides 2009-05-06
CFNetwork Reference Collection (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the C APIs for performing a variety network tasks.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-07-15
CFNetworkHTTPDownload (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to download a URL using CFNetworking.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2006-01-18
CFNotificationCenter Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an object that sends notifications to registered observers.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-01-22
CFNull Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an object that represents null.
Core Foundation Reference 2005-12-06
CFNumber Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a number.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-12-01
CFNumberFormatter Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a number formatter.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-05-23
CFPlugIn Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a plug-in.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-02-07
CFPlugInInstance Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a deprecated technology replaced by the CFPlugin opaque type.
Core Foundation Reference 2005-12-06
CFPreferences (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to use the CFPreferences APIs to access user preferences.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2003-01-14
CFPrefsDumper (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to use the CFPreferences APIs to access information about the current user preferences.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2003-01-14
CFPrefTopScores (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
How to access globally shared (writable) user preferences without requiring authentication.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2006-10-09
CFPropertyList Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a runtime representation of a property list.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-02-07
CFProxySupport Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the CFProxySupport API, which provides functions for managing network proxy information.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-07-07
CFProxySupportTool (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to use the CFProxySupport APIs to decide whether a network connection should pass through a proxy.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2007-10-29
CFReadStream Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an interface for reading a byte stream.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-05-03
CFRunLoop Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an object that manages input sources for a task.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-12-08
CFRunLoopObserver Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a means to receive callbacks at specific points during a run loop's execution.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-02-07
CFRunLoopSource Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the source for a run loop.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-02-07
CFRunLoopTimer Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a timer associated with a run loop.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-02-07
CFSet Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an immutable unordered collection of distinct values.
Core Foundation Reference 2005-12-06
CFSocket Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a network communications channel.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-10-15
CFStream Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the interface for creating streams.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-05-03
CFStream Socket Additions (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the C API for using streams with sockets.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-07-08
CFString Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an immutable character string.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-10-15
CFStringTokenizer Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an opaque type for breaking a string into tokens.
Core Foundation Reference 2009-01-06
CFTimeZone Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a representation of a time zone.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-10-15
CFTree Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a tree structure.
Core Foundation Reference 2005-12-06
CFType Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the Core Foundation base type.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-07-12
CFURL Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a string that uniquely identifies a resource.
Core Foundation Reference 2009-02-04
CFUserNotification Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a notification.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-02-07
CFUUID Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a unique identifier.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-01-15
CFWriteStream Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an interface for writing a byte stream.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-05-03
CFXML to CFPropertyListRef (and back!) (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1208: Describes to how save and restore a CFPropertyListRef to and from an XML file.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2003-08-29
CFXMLNode Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the opaque type for representing an individual XML construct.
Core Foundation Reference 2006-02-07
CFXMLParser Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an object for finding and extracting data in XML documents.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-10-15
CFXMLTree Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes an XML document as a tree structure.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-10-15
Changing the TCP Window Size (HTML)
NW47: Describes how to change the TCP window size in Open Transport.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 1997-03-14
CheckExecutableArchitecture (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Determine whether a particular Mach-O executable contains a version suitable for executing on a given processor architecture.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2006-02-07
The "chosen" node in the device tree (HTML)
HW88: Describes how to find the "chosen" node in the Open firmware device tree.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2000-09-05
Code Speed Performance Guidelines (HTML) (PDF)
Guidelines for improving the performance and efficiency of code.
Core Foundation Guides 2005-07-07
Collections Programming Topics for Core Foundation (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to group objects in arrays, sets, or dictionaries in Core Foundation.
Core Foundation Guides 2003-08-07
Converting to Precomposed Unicode (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1235: Describes how to convert a string to precomposed Unicode.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2003-02-07
Core Animation properties and Reference Counting (HTML)
QA1565: Describes a discrepancy between the property declarations in Core Animation and the actual behavior.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2008-11-24
Core Foundation Design Concepts (HTML) (PDF)
Explains the fundamental design concepts that underlie all Core Foundation programming interfaces.
Core Foundation Guides 2005-08-11
Core Foundation Framework Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the Core Foundation API.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-10-31
Core Foundation Reference Update (HTML) (PDF)
Summarizes the symbols added to the Core Foundation framework.
Core Foundation Release Notes 2007-07-18
Core Foundation URL Access Utilities Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes Core Foundation URL access functions.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-01-19
Core Services Identity Reference (HTML)
Describes the C API for creating, maintaining and finding users and groups.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-04-08
CoreFoundation Framework Release Notes (HTML)
Core Foundation Release Notes 2007-10-31
CoreTextArc (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Illustrates the use of fonts, lines, and runs in a CoreText text drawing Carbon application.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2007-06-04
CoreTextTest (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to handle the CoreText objects to display text.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2006-12-19
Creating Cross-Platform Applications with Core Foundation and Open Source (HTML)
Learn how to import and export data types across a range of platforms using CF-Lite.
Core Foundation Articles 2005-04-11
Daemons and Agents (HTML)
TN2083: Describes the most common problems encountered with daemons and agents, and suggests detailed solutions.
Core Foundation Technical Notes 2007-11-05
Data Formatting Guide for Core Foundation (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use Core Foundation formatters to create and validate text in text fields and other cells.
Core Foundation Guides 2006-12-21
Dates and Times Programming Guide for Core Foundation (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to manage Core Foundation dates and times.
Core Foundation Guides 2005-08-11
Debugging Programming Topics for Core Foundation (HTML) (PDF)
Tips and techniques for debugging Core Foundation code.
Core Foundation Guides 2003-01-17
Designing Network-Friendly Applications (HTML)
Learn to make your application management-aware and reliably accessible on a network.
Core Foundation Articles 2005-10-24
Dictionary Services Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to create a dictionary and access it programmatically.
Core Foundation Guides 2007-05-30
Dictionary Services Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the Objective-C and C routines that support programmatic access to dictionaries.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-05-29
Disabling Processor Cores on a Multi-Core System (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1141: Describes how to disable processor cores on a multi-core system for testing purposes.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2008-09-16
Discovering all advertised Bonjour service types (HTML)
QA1337: Explains how to discover all Bonjour service types being advertised on the local network.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2004-06-01
DisplayURL (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Parses a passed in path URL into its various components displaying server information.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2005-10-04
DNSServiceMetaQuery (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows how to discover Bonjour service types being advertised on the local network.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2005-06-01
Downloading through a proxy server in Mac OS X (HTML)
QA1296: Explains when downloading through a proxy server will work, and when it will fail.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2003-10-29
EventMonitorTest (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Receive notification of all keyboard, mouse, and tablet events passed to other processes.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2005-11-09
Expanding Tilde-based paths (HTML)
QA1549: Demonstrates how to resolve tilde-based relevant paths.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2008-09-08
File System Events Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how applications can detect changes in the file system.
Core Foundation Guides 2008-03-11
File-System Performance Guidelines (HTML) (PDF)
Guidelines for improving the performance of file-related code.
Core Foundation Guides 2005-07-07
FileNotification (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
kqueue file notification introduced in 10.3. Notification API to detect file system modifications.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2005-10-27
filesystem_examples (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Collection of command line tools illustrating filesystem features.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2006-01-10
Frequently Asked Text Services Manager (TSM) Questions (HTML)
TN2128: Regroups a collection of Text Services Manager (TSM) questions frequently asked by Input Method Developers
Core Foundation Technical Notes 2005-06-24
FSCopyObject (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Copy engine for copying files and directories.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2004-03-19
FSEvents Reference (HTML)
Describes the API used to provide lightweight notification of directory changes in a file-system subtree.
Core Foundation Reference 2008-04-08
FSMegaInfo (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Prints information about various file system objects; helpful when debugging VFS plug-ins.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2008-02-25
Getting a Packet Trace (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1176: Lists tools available for looking at the network packets on the wire.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2008-06-03
Getting the User and Computer Name (HTML)
QA1078: Describes how to get the user and computer name on Mac OS X.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2001-10-30
HID Manager Event Data Underruns (HTML)
QA1038: Explains how to correctly handle HID Manager event queue data underruns.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2001-06-13
How can I identify the runtime environment, Carbon or Cocoa, of the current application? (HTML)
QA1372: Identifies the runtime environment of the application. Useful only for plugins, frameworks, input methods, etc.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2006-11-07
Identity Services Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how identities work and how to use them in applications.
Core Foundation Guides 2008-10-15
Identity Services Reference Collection (HTML) (PDF)
Describes the APIs for using identities and the Identity Picker.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-05-14
IdentitySample (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
IdentitySample builds a utility which demonstrates how to use the CoreServices Identity API to manage system-wide identities
Core Foundation Sample Code 2006-07-27
ImageClient (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates how to use CFNetwork for synchronous and asynchronous operations, network diagnostics, proxy navigation, and authentication.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2005-06-01
InkSample (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Demonstrates some usage scenarios for the Ink.Framework APIs.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2003-10-27
Internationalization Programming Topics (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to support multiple languages in software.
Core Foundation Guides 2009-01-06
Internet Connect Speed (HTML) (日本語 HTML)
QA1165: Describes how to get the modem connection speed from the System Configuration framework dynamic store.
Core Foundation Technical Q&As 2003-03-26
JavaScriptCore Framework Reference (HTML)
Describes the API for evaluating JavaScript programs from within a C-based program
Core Foundation Reference 2008-04-08
Launch Time Performance Guidelines (HTML) (PDF)
Guidelines for improving the launch performance of an application.
Core Foundation Guides 2006-04-04
Locales Programming Guide (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to use locales to retrieve, interpret, and display localized information in Core Foundation.
Core Foundation Guides 2008-10-15
LocalServer (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Deprecated - Sample demonstrates how a Classic process can communicate with a Mac OS X process using IP networking protocols.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2003-01-30
ManagedObjectDataFormatter (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
A Data Formatter for Xcode 2.0 and 2.1 that displays NSManagedObject * variables.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2005-06-01
MapLargeFile (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Shows a technique for mapping files greater than 4GB into memory for faster access.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2003-11-19
Memory Management Programming Guide for Core Foundation (HTML) (PDF)
Explains how to allocate and deallocate objects in Core Foundation.
Core Foundation Guides 2008-10-15
Memory Usage Performance Guidelines (HTML) (PDF)
Guidelines for improving the performance of memory-related code.
Core Foundation Guides 2006-06-28
MoreIsBetter (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Library providing indispensable wrapers and workarounds for many areas of Mac OS programming.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2003-10-27
NamingTableAccess (HTML) (DMG) (ZIP)
Digs out the contents of the NamingTable in a TrueType 'sfnt'.
Core Foundation Sample Code 2003-01-14
NSHost Class Reference (HTML) (PDF)
Describes a representation of a network host.
Core Foundation Reference 2007-03-24