Home
Client APIs and tools
You can use the HCL Informix® implementation of client APIs to develop applications for Informix database servers.
ESQL/C Guide
The Informix® ESQL/C Programmer's Manual explains how to use Informix ESQL/C, the Informix implementation of Embedded Structured Query Language (SQL) for C (ESQL/C), to create client applications with database-management capabilities.
What is Informix® ESQL/C?
Informix® ESQL/C data types
These topics contain information about the correspondence between SQL and C data types and how to handle data types in the Informix® ESQL/C program.
Choose data types for host variables
Data type constants
SQL data type constants

Client APIs and tools
You can use the HCL Informix® implementation of client APIs to develop applications for Informix database servers.
- Change Data Capture API Programmer's Guide
  The Informix® Change Data Capture API Programmer's Guide describes how to program applications to process changed data from HCL Informix databases using the Informix Change Data Capture API.
- Embedded SQLJ for HCL Informix®
  The Informix® Embedded SQLJ User's Guide contains information about using Informix Embedded SQLJ.
- ESQL/C Guide
  The Informix® ESQL/C Programmer's Manual explains how to use Informix ESQL/C, the Informix implementation of Embedded Structured Query Language (SQL) for C (ESQL/C), to create client applications with database-management capabilities.
  - What is Informix® ESQL/C?
    - Informix® ESQL/C programming
    - Compile programs
    - Informix® ESQL/C data types
      These topics contain information about the correspondence between SQL and C data types and how to handle data types in the Informix® ESQL/C program.
    - Character and string data types
      These topics explain how to use character data types in the Informix® ESQL/C program.
    - Numeric data types
    - Time data types
      These topics explain how to use date, datetime, and interval data types in the Informix® ESQL/C program.
    - Simple large objects
      A simple large object is a large object that is stored in a blobspace on disk and is not recoverable.
    - Smart large objects
      A smart large object is a data type that stores large, non-relational data objects such as images, sound clips, documents, graphics, maps and other large objects, and allows you to perform read, write, and seek operations on those objects.
    - Complex data types
      These topics explain how to use collection and row data types in the Informix® ESQL/C program.
    - Opaque data types
      These topics explain how to use the lvarchar, fixed binary, and var binary data types to access an opaque data type from the Informix® ESQL/C program. Use these Informix ESQL/C data types to represent an opaque data type as it is transferred to and from Informix.
  - Database server communication
  - Dynamic SQL
  - Appendixes
    This section contains additional reference information.
- GLS User's Guide
  The Informix® GLS User's Guide describes the Global Language Support (GLS) feature available in Informix products.
- API
  The Informix® GLS API Programmer's Guide describes the global language support (GLS) application programming interface (API) available in Informix ESQL/C and HCL Informix DataBlade® modules.
- Informix® Object Interface for C++ Guide
  The Informix® Object Interface for C++ Programmer's Guide describes how to develop HCL Informix client applications by using the object-oriented C++ programming language.
- Informix® ODBC Driver Guide
  The Informix® ODBC Driver Programmer's Manual serves as a user guide and reference for Informix ODBC Driver, which is the Informix implementation of the Microsoft™ Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) interface, Version 3.0.
- .NET provider options
  The Data Server Provider for .NET DB2® provider option is the preferred Informix® provider for developing new applications.
- Informix® JDBC Driver Guide
  The Informix® JDBC Driver Programmer's Guide describes how to install, load, and use Informix JDBC Driver to connect to the Informix database from within a Java™ application or applet.
- Informix International Language Supplement (ILS) User Guide
  These topics include information about the translated user interface files for Informix® UNIX™ products, locales, and code set conversion tables
- Informix® OLE DB Provider Guide
  The Informix® OLE DB Provider Programmer's Guide describes the software requirements for using Informix OLE DB Provider, show how to install and configure the provider for your use, and explain how to use Informix OLE DB Provider to enable client applications, such as ActiveX Data Object (ADO) applications and web pages, to access data on the Informix server.

SQL data type constants

Constants for Informix SQL column data types shows the SQL data type constants for the HCL Informix®. Constants for Informix SQL column data types that are specific to HCL Informix shows the SQL data type constants for the additional data types that are available with the Informix®.

Table 1. Constants for Informix® SQL column data types
SQL data type	Defined constant	Integer value
CHAR	SQLCHAR	0
SMALLINT	SQLSMINT	1
INTEGER	SQLINT	2
FLOAT	SQLFLOAT	3
SMALLFLOAT	SQLSMFLOAT	4
DECIMAL	SQLDECIMAL	5
SERIAL	SQLSERIAL	6
DATE	SQLDATE	7
MONEY	SQLMONEY	8
DATETIME	SQLDTIME	10
BYTE	SQLBYTES	11
TEXT	SQLTEXT	12
VARCHAR	SQLVCHAR	13
INTERVAL	SQLINTERVAL	14
NCHAR	SQLNCHAR	15
NVARCHAR	SQLNVCHAR	16
INT8	SQLINT8	17
BIGSERIAL	SQLBIGSERIAL	53
LVARCHAR	SQLLVARCHAR	43
BOOLEAN	SQLBOOL	45
BIGINT	SQLINFXBIGINT	52
BIGSERIAL	SQLBIGSERIAL	53

Table 2. Constants for Informix® SQL column data types that are specific to HCL Informix®
SQL data type	Defined constant	Integer value
SET	SQLSET	19
MULTISET	SQLMULTISET	20
LIST	SQLLIST	21
ROW	SQLROW	22
Varying-length opaque type	SQLUDTVAR	40
Fixed-length opaque type	SQLUDTFIXED	41
SENDRECV (client-side only)	SQLSENDRECV	44

Important: The SENDRECV data type has an SQL constant but can only be used in the Informix® ESQL/C program. You cannot define a database column as type SENDRECV.