# Service functions

The following functions allow plugins to use FAR menu, dialogs, language support and some other useful functionality. Pointers to these functions are passed to plugins in the SetStartupInfo function.

Attention!

- Some of the functions listed below are absent in the older FAR versions. Read the remarks to the PluginStartupInfo structure and the GetMinFarVersion function for more information.

### Common functions

Function | Description
--- | ---
AdvControl | advanced control functions; can be called from anywhere: panels, viewer or editor.
CharTable | allows to get information about installed character tables.
CmpName | function compares a text string (for example, a file name) with a pattern (mask).
GetMsg | returns a message from the language file.
Menu | shows a menu.
RestoreScreen | restores a screen area previously saved by SaveScreen.
SaveScreen | saves a screen area.
ShowHelp | shows the specified FAR help topic for the specified hlf file.
Text | writes a text string to the screen.

### Panel specific functions

Function | Description
--- | ---
Control | allows to request different information about the FAR panels and perform various control actions.
FreeDirList | releases the memory allocated for files list by GetDirList and GetPluginDirList functions.
GetDirList | returns the list of files in the specified directory.
GetPluginDirList | returns list of files in the specified directory in the file system emulated by a plugin.

### Editor specific functions

Function | Description
--- | ---
Editor | allows to invoke the FAR internal editor.
EditorControl | provides access to low level internal editor API.

### Dialog API specific functions

Function | Description
--- | ---
DefDlgProc | allows to call the internal dialog callback function.
Dialog | shows a dialog.
DialogEx | shows a dialog that allows to assign for it a callback function.
InputBox | a simple dialog box allowing to enter one line of text.
Message | shows a message.
SendDlgMessage | used to send a message to the dialog callback function.

### Viewer specific functions

Function | Description
--- | ---
Viewer | allows to invoke the internal viewer.
ViewerControl | allows to query and control the state of the internal viewer

See also:
Exported functions, Structures, Archive support, Addons, Win32 structures and function