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Extending Informix®
Beyond standard relational database objects, HCL Informix® can be extended to handle specialized data types, access methods, routines, and other objects. Informix includes many built-in extensions that are fully integrated in the database server. Informix also provides DataBlade® modules, which are packages of extended database objects for a particular purpose and that are installed separately from the database server. Alternatively, you can create your own user-defined objects for Informix.
Creating extensions
You can create user-defined data types, routines, access methods, and other database objects to suit your needs. You can use application programming interfaces to write user-defined routines and applications that access data in Informix® databases.
DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide
The Informix® DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide describes information about the DataBlade API, the C-language application programming interface (API) provided with HCL Informix.
DataBlade® API overview
The DataBlade® API
The HCL Informix® DataBlade® API is the application programming interface (API) for HCL Informix. You can use DataBlade API functions in DataBlade modules to access data stored in the Informix database.
The DataBlade® API module
A DataBlade® API module is a C-language module that uses the functions of the DataBlade API to communicate with HCL Informix®.

Extending Informix®
Beyond standard relational database objects, HCL Informix® can be extended to handle specialized data types, access methods, routines, and other objects. Informix includes many built-in extensions that are fully integrated in the database server. Informix also provides DataBlade® modules, which are packages of extended database objects for a particular purpose and that are installed separately from the database server. Alternatively, you can create your own user-defined objects for Informix.
- Informix® extensions and DataBlade® modules
  These topics describe how to use built-in database extensions and separately installed DataBlade® modules.
- Creating extensions
  You can create user-defined data types, routines, access methods, and other database objects to suit your needs. You can use application programming interfaces to write user-defined routines and applications that access data in Informix® databases.
  - DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide
    The Informix® DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide describes information about the DataBlade API, the C-language application programming interface (API) provided with HCL Informix.
    - DataBlade® API overview
      - The DataBlade® API
        The HCL Informix® DataBlade® API is the application programming interface (API) for HCL Informix. You can use DataBlade API functions in DataBlade modules to access data stored in the Informix database.
        The DataBlade® API module
        A DataBlade® API module is a C-language module that uses the functions of the DataBlade API to communicate with HCL Informix®.
        User-defined routine (Server)
        A user-defined routine (UDR) is a routine that you can start within an SQL statement or another UDR. UDRs are building blocks for the development of DataBlade® modules.
        The client LIBMI application
        A client LIBMI application is a stand-alone client application that uses the client-side implementation of the DataBlade® API to communicate with the database server. The application might be written in C, C++, or Visual Basic.
        Compatibility of client and server DataBlade® API modules
        DataBlade® API components
        The DataBlade® API contains the header files, public data type structures, and pubic functions for the development of DataBlade API modules.
        Internationalization of DataBlade® API modules (GLS)
        For your DataBlade® API module to work in any HCL Informix® locale, you must implement your DataBlade API module so that it is internationalized. That is, the module must not make any assumptions about the locale in which it will execute.
      - Access SQL data types
        This section provides an overview of the data types that the DataBlade® API supports.
    - Data manipulation
    - Database access
    - Create user-defined routines
    - Appendix
      This section contains additional reference information.
  - DataBlade® API Function Reference
    The Informix® DataBlade® API Function Reference describes the DataBlade API functions and the subset of Informix ESQL/C functions that the DataBlade API supports.
  - DataBlade® Developers Kit
    The DataBlade® Developers Kit (DBDK) guides contain information about the tools you can use to develop and package DataBlade modules, which extend the functionality of HCL Informix® databases.
  - J/Foundation Developer's Guide
    The J/Foundation Developer's Guide describes how to write user-defined routines (UDRs) in the Java™ programming language for Informix®.
  - R-Tree Index User's Guide
    The Informix® R-Tree Index User's Guide describes the HCL Informix R-tree secondary access method and how to access and use its components.
  - User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide
    The Informix® User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide describes how to define new data types and enable user-defined routines (UDRs) to extend HCL Informix.
  - Virtual-Table Interface Guide
    The Informix® Virtual-Table Interface Programmer's Guide explains how to create a primary access method with the Virtual-Table Interface (VTI) so that users have a single SQL interface to HCL Informix tables and to data that does not conform to the storage scheme of HCL Informix.
  - Virtual-Index Interface Guide
    The Informix® Virtual-Index Interface Programmer's Guide explains how to create a secondary access method with the Virtual-Index Interface (VII) to extend the built-in indexing schemes of HCL Informix typically with a DataBlade® module.

The DataBlade® API module

A DataBlade® API module is a C-language module that uses the functions of the DataBlade® API to communicate with HCL Informix®.

You can use the DataBlade® API in either of the following DataBlade® API modules:

C UDR: A user-defined routine that is written in C.
Client LIBMI application: A client application written in C.

Tip: This publication uses the term DataBlade API module generically to refer to either a client LIBMI application or a user-defined routine (UDR).

To provide portability for applications, most of the DataBlade® API functions behave identically in a UDR and a client LIBMI application. In cases where syntax or semantics differ, this publication uses qualifying paragraphs to distinguish between server-side and client-side behavior of the DataBlade® API.

If neither the server-specific or client-specific qualifying paragraphs appear, you can assume that the functionality is the same in both the server-side and client-side implementations of the DataBlade® API.

You can dynamically determine the kind of DataBlade® API module with the mi_client() function.