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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® 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.
DataBlade® Developers Kit User's Guide
The HCL Informix® DataBlade® Developers Kit User's Guide describes how to use tools to develop and package DataBlade modules.
Programming guidelines
Use this section to help you when you write the design specification for your DataBlade® module.
Programming language options
This section explains the programming language options you have when you use BladeSmith to generate source code for your DataBlade® module.
Options for opaque data types
ActiveX value objects
You can create ActiveX value objects with . An ActiveX value object is an object that is compliant with Microsoft™ Common Object Model (COM) and contains a client-side copy of database data.

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 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.
    - DataBlade® Module Development Overview
      The HCL Informix® DataBlade® module overview serves as an overview of the HCL Informix DataBlade module development process.
    - DataBlade® Developers Kit User's Guide
      The HCL Informix® DataBlade® Developers Kit User's Guide describes how to use tools to develop and package DataBlade modules.
      - Getting started with DataBlade® module development
        This section provides an overview of DataBlade® module development and describes the resources and tools the HCL Informix® database server provides to facilitate development.
      - Design DataBlade® modules
        This section describes the DataBlade® module SQL design issues.
      - Programming guidelines
        Use this section to help you when you write the design specification for your DataBlade® module.
        Programming language options
        This section explains the programming language options you have when you use BladeSmith to generate source code for your DataBlade® module.
        Options for opaque data types
        ActiveX value objects
        You can create ActiveX value objects with . An ActiveX value object is an object that is compliant with Microsoft™ Common Object Model (COM) and contains a client-side copy of database data.
        Combined languages in server and client implementations
        You can choose to combine languages for the server implementation and the optional client implementations of your opaque data type: C or C++ for the server implementation and ActiveX for the client implementation.
        Limitations of opaque types for each language
        This section discusses the limitations you have for each language when you implement opaque data types.
        Embed opaque data types within opaque data types
        You can embed an existing opaque data type as a member of another opaque data type with BladeSmith only if both opaque data types have the same server implementation language. You cannot mix programming languages in opaque data types.
        Options for routines
        If you choose to program your user-defined routines in C, you can choose any of the routine options available in BladeSmith.
        Multilanguage DataBlade® module issues
        If you use more than one external programming language in your DataBlade® module, you might have more than one resulting shared library after you compile your source code.
        C programming guidelines
        C++ programming guidelines
        Java™ programming guidelines
        DataBlade® API programming guidelines
      - Create DataBlade® objects by using BladeSmith
        Use BladeSmith to create DataBlade® modules.
      - Programming DataBlade® module routines in C
        This section contains information to help you edit and compile C language source code generated by DataBlade®.
      - Create ActiveX value objects
        This section describes how to use the to create ActiveX value objects. This section describes the use of C++ to implement opaque type support routines.
      - The ActiveX value objects
        This section provides information for client application developers who are using ActiveX value objects.
      - Programming DataBlade® modules in Java™
        This section contains information to help you edit and compile Java™ language source code generated by BladeSmith.
      - Debugging and testing DataBlade® modules on UNIX™
        This section describes how to debug and perform functional tests for DataBlade® modules written in C for Informix® on UNIX™.
      - Debugging and testing DataBlade® modules on Windows™
        This section describes how to debug and perform functional tests for DataBlade® modules written in C and C++ for Informix® on Windows™.
      - BladePack
        BladePack creates installation packages for DataBlade® modules and other software products.
      - Appendixes
        This section contains additional reference information.
    - DBDK InfoShelf
      The DataBlade® Developers Kit InfoShelf is designed to help you work with BladeSmith.
  - 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.

ActiveX value objects

You can create ActiveX value objects with . An ActiveX value object is an object that is compliant with Microsoft™ Common Object Model (COM) and contains a client-side copy of database data.

The following table summarizes the relationship between ActiveX elements and HCL Informix® opaque data type elements.

Table 1. Relationship between ActiveX elements and Informix® opaque data type elements
ActiveX element	Opaque data type element
ActiveX control (or ActiveX object)	Opaque data type
Custom methods (dual interface)	Opaque type support routines
Properties	Accessor methods for the members of the data structure that defines the opaque type
States	N.A.
Events	N.A.
Interfaces (ActiveX value objects provide the IRawObjectAccess and ITDkValue interfaces)	N.A.

Important: Changing an object on the client does not update the object on the database server. To update the value on the database server, you must do so explicitly with an SQL UPDATE statement.