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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.
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.
Character processing
These topics describe the character-processing capabilities of the library.
Other operations
In addition to the operations on characters and strings, the library provides support for terminating characters and strings, allocating memory for characters and strings, and truncating and fragmenting strings.
Managing memory for strings and characters
You must make buffers large enough to hold text in any of the languages that your application will handle.
String deallocation
The library does not automatically deallocate memory that you dynamically allocate. Once you no longer need the string buffer, you must ensure that you deallocate any memory that your application has dynamically allocated for multibyte-character and wide-character strings.

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.
- 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.
  - Using Informix® GLS
    The library enables a program to access the culture-specific information in the GLS locales that Informix® provides.
  - Character processing
    These topics describe the character-processing capabilities of the library.
    - Types of characters
      A GLS locale supports a particular code set, which maps characters to unique bit patterns called code points.
    - Character operations
      The library supports character classification, case conversion, and code-set conversion operations on multibyte and wide characters.
    - String operations
      The library supports string traversal and string processing operations on multibyte-character and wide-character strings.
    - Other operations
      In addition to the operations on characters and strings, the library provides support for terminating characters and strings, allocating memory for characters and strings, and truncating and fragmenting strings.
      - String and character termination
        You can use the library with many different application programming interfaces (APIs), which might handle strings in different ways.
      - Managing memory for strings and characters
        You must make buffers large enough to hold text in any of the languages that your application will handle.
        Multibyte-character-string allocation
        Multibyte characters have varying lengths. When you represent a multibyte-character string in an array, the number of array elements does not equal the number of multibyte characters in the string. Therefore, you cannot use the same allocation method for multibyte strings as for single-byte strings.
        Wide-character-string allocation
        When you represent a wide-character string in an array, the number of array elements does equal the number of wide characters in the string. Therefore, you can use the same allocation method for wide-character strings as for single-byte strings.
        String deallocation
        The library does not automatically deallocate memory that you dynamically allocate. Once you no longer need the string buffer, you must ensure that you deallocate any memory that your application has dynamically allocated for multibyte-character and wide-character strings.
      - Keep multibyte strings consistent
        You must take special measures to perform truncation and fragmentation operations on multibyte strings so that you do not split a multibyte character.
  - Data formatting
    You must handle the format of locale-specific data in your applications.
  - Informix® GLS functions
    These topics describe the functions that the library provides. First is a summary of functions by categories. The rest of the topics provide reference information about the public functions, in alphabetical order.
  - Appendix
- 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.

String deallocation

The library does not automatically deallocate memory that you dynamically allocate. Once you no longer need the string buffer, you must ensure that you deallocate any memory that your application has dynamically allocated for multibyte-character and wide-character strings.

The DataBlade® API does provide some automatic garbage collection for memory that you allocate dynamically. When this memory is deallocated depends on the memory duration with which it was allocated. However, it is good programming practice to handle memory deallocation implicitly whenever possible. For more information about memory management with the DataBlade® API, see the Informix® DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide.