File: gpgme.info,  Node: Getting Started,  Next: Features,  Up: Introduction

1.1 Getting Started
===================

This manual documents the GPGME library programming interface.  All
functions and data types provided by the library are explained.

   The reader is assumed to possess basic knowledge about cryptography
in general, and public key cryptography in particular.  The underlying
cryptographic engines that are used by the library are not explained,
but where necessary, special features or requirements by an engine are
mentioned as far as they are relevant to GPGME or its users.

   This manual can be used in several ways.  If read from the beginning
to the end, it gives a good introduction into the library and how it can
be used in an application.  Forward references are included where
necessary.  Later on, the manual can be used as a reference manual to
get just the information needed about any particular interface of the
library.  Experienced programmers might want to start looking at the
examples at the end of the manual, and then only read up those parts of
the interface which are unclear.

   The documentation for the language bindings is currently not included
in this manual.  Those languages bindings follow the general programming
model of GPGME but may provide some extra high level abstraction on top
of the GPGME style API. For now please see the README files in the
‘lang/’ directory of the source distribution.