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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?
Complex data types
These topics explain how to use collection and row data types in the Informix® ESQL/C program.
Access a collection
Operate on a collection variable
Insert elements into a collection variable
Insert one element
The INSERT statement and the collection-derived table clause allow you to insert one element into a collection.

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.
      - Access a collection
        Access a collection derived table
        Declaring collection variables
        Manage memory for collections
        Informix® ESQL/C does not automatically allocate or deallocate memory for collection variables. You must explicitly manage the memory that is allocated to a collection variable.
        Operate on a collection variable
        The collection-derived table clause on collections
        The collection-derived table clause allows you to specify a collection host variable as a table name.
        Initialize a collection variable
        You must always initialize an untyped collection variable by selecting a collection column into it. You must execute a SELECT statement, regardless of the operation you want to perform on the untyped collection variable.
        Insert elements into a collection variable
        Insert one element
        The INSERT statement and the collection-derived table clause allow you to insert one element into a collection.
        Insert elements into SET and MULTISET collections
        Insert elements into LIST collections
        Inserting more than one element
        An insert cursor that includes an INSERT statement with the collection-derived table clause allows you to insert many elements into a collection variable.
        Select from a collection variable
        The SELECT statement with the collection-derived table clause allows you to select elements from a collection variable.
        Update a collection variable
        After you have initialized a collection host variable with a collection column, you can use the UPDATE statement with the collection-derived table clause to update the elements in the collection. The collection-derived table clause identifies the collection variable whose elements are to be updated.
        Specify element values
        Delete elements from a collection variable
        After you have initialized a collection host variable with a collection column, you can use the DELETE statement and the collection-derived table clause to delete an element of a collection variable. The collection-derived table clause identifies the collection variable in which to delete the elements.
        Access a nested collection
        Operate on a collection column
      - Access row types
    - 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.

Insert one element

The INSERT statement and the collection-derived table clause allow you to insert one element into a collection.

Informix® ESQL/C inserts the values that the VALUES clause specifies into the collection variable that the collection-derived table clause specifies.

Tip: When you insert elements into a client-side collection variable, you cannot specify a SELECT, an EXECUTE FUNCTION, or an EXECUTE PROCEDURE statement in the VALUES clause of the INSERT.