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7.9.1 Output Library Specifics

Output library objects expose collections of functions concerned with text formatting. The collections may target implicit output devices or may target output device types.

For an instance, the implicit device collections may target one the standard output, another standard error, and yet another some TCP output stream. The typed device collections may target such types as output devices as files and strings.

For the implicit device functions only the output data is described by the function parameters. For the typed device functions the output data parameters are preceded by one parameter indicating the output device.

The collections are uniform in interface (some function in one collection will have a close correspondent in another). Functions in one collection share the name prefix.