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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.
GLS User's Guide
The Informix® GLS User's Guide describes the Global Language Support (GLS) feature available in Informix products.
Informix® ESQL/C features
These topics explain how the GLS feature affects Informix® ESQL/C, an SQL application programming interface (API).
Handle non-ASCII characters
The Informix® ESQL/C processors obtain the code set for use in Informix ESQL/C source files from the client locale.
Generate non-ASCII file names
When the Informix® ESQL/C source file is processed, the Informix ESQL/C processor generates a corresponding intermediate file for the source file.

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.
  - GLS fundamentals
    The Global Language Support (GLS) feature lets Informix® products handle different languages, cultural conventions, and code sets for Asian, African, European, Latin American, and Middle Eastern countries.
  - GLS environment variables
    HCL Informix® products establish the client, database, and server locales with information from GLS-related environment variables and from data that is stored in the database.
  - SQL features
    These topics explain how the GLS feature affects the Informix® implementation of SQL.
  - Database server features
    These topics describe how the GLS feature affects the database server.
  - General SQL API features (ESQL/C)
    These topics explain how the GLS feature affects applications that you develop with the Informix® Client Software Development Kit.
  - Informix® ESQL/C features
    These topics explain how the GLS feature affects Informix® ESQL/C, an SQL application programming interface (API).
    - Handle non-ASCII characters
      The Informix® ESQL/C processors obtain the code set for use in Informix ESQL/C source files from the client locale.
      - Non-ASCII characters in host variables
        Informix® ESQL/C allows the use of non-ASCII characters in host variables when certain conditions are true.
      - Generate non-ASCII file names
        When the Informix® ESQL/C source file is processed, the Informix ESQL/C processor generates a corresponding intermediate file for the source file.
      - Non-ASCII characters in ESQL/C source files
        The Informix® ESQL/C processor, esql, accepts C source programs that are written in the client code set (the code set of the client locale). The Informix ESQL/C preprocessor, esqlc, can accept non-ASCII characters (8-bit and multibyte) in the Informix ESQL/C source code as long as the client code set defines them.
    - Define variables for locale-sensitive data
      The SQL data types NCHAR and NVARCHAR support locale-specific data, in the sense that the database server uses localized collation (if the locale defines localized collation), rather than code set order, for sorting data strings of these types.
    - Enhanced ESQL/C library functions
      Informix® SQL API products support locale-specific enhancements to the Informix ESQL/C library functions.
    - Handle code-set conversion
      When the client and database code sets differ, the Informix® ESQL/C client application performs code-set conversion on character data.
    - The TRIM function
      When you dynamically execute a SELECT statement, the DESCRIBE statement can return information about the columns in the select list of the Projection clause at run time. DESCRIBE returns the data type of a select-list column in the appropriate field of the dynamic-management structure that you use.
  - Appendix
    This section contains additional reference information.
- 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.

Generate non-ASCII file names

When the Informix® ESQL/C source file is processed, the Informix® ESQL/C processor generates a corresponding intermediate file for the source file.

If you use non-ASCII characters (8-bit and multibyte character) in these source file names, the following restrictions affect the ability of the Informix® ESQL/C processor to generate file names that contain non-ASCII characters:

The Informix® ESQL/C processor must know whether the operating system is 8-bit clean.
For more information, see GLS8BITFSYS environment variable.
The code set of the client locale (the client code set) must support the non-ASCII characters that are used in the Informix® ESQL/C source file name.
Your C compiler supports the non-ASCII characters that the file name of the Informix® ESQL/C source file uses.
If your C compiler does not support non-ASCII characters, you can use the CC8BITLEVEL environment variable as a workaround when your source file contains multibyte characters. For more information, see Generate non-ASCII file names.