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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?
Time data types
These topics explain how to use date, datetime, and interval data types in the Informix® ESQL/C program.
Support of non-ANSI DATETIME formats
Informix® ESQL/C supports conversions from a data-time string in a non-ANSI format to the DATETIME data type. This conversion makes it easier to upgrade from Asian Language Support (ALS) client/server products to Global Language Support (GLS) client/server products.
The USE_DTENV environment variable
To support compatibility with earlier versions, Informix® ESQL/C uses the USE_DTENV environment variable to activate support for non-ANSI date-time formats.

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.
      - The SQL DATE data type
      - DATE library functions
      - The SQL DATETIME and INTERVAL data types
      - Support of non-ANSI DATETIME formats
        Informix® ESQL/C supports conversions from a data-time string in a non-ANSI format to the DATETIME data type. This conversion makes it easier to upgrade from Asian Language Support (ALS) client/server products to Global Language Support (GLS) client/server products.
        The USE_DTENV environment variable
        To support compatibility with earlier versions, Informix® ESQL/C uses the USE_DTENV environment variable to activate support for non-ANSI date-time formats.
      - DATETIME and INTERVAL library functions
    - 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.

The USE_DTENV environment variable

To support compatibility with earlier versions, Informix® ESQL/C uses the USE_DTENV environment variable to activate support for non-ANSI date-time formats.

When the USE_DTENV environment variable is enabled, the following order or precedence is used:

DBTIME
GL_DATETIME
CLIENT_LOCALE
LC_TIME
LANG (if LC_TIME is not set)
ANSI format

When enabled, the USE_DTENV environment variable is passed from the ESQL/C program to the database server. Enabling it for the database server only has no effect. You must set it for the ESQL/C client program, which then passes it to the database server.

If the database server does not support non-ANSI date-time formats, do not set the USE_DTENV environment variable for the ESQL/C client program.

You must set this environment variable to display localized DATETIME values correctly in a database that uses a non-default locale, and for which the GL_DATETIME environment variable has a non-default setting.