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Extending Informix®Beyond standard relational database objects, HCL Informix® can be extended to handle specialized data types, access methods, routines, and other objects. Informix® includes many built-in extensions that are fully integrated in the database server. Informix® also provides DataBlade® modules, which are packages of extended database objects for a particular purpose and that are installed separately from the database server. Alternatively, you can create your own user-defined objects for Informix®.
Creating extensionsYou can create user-defined data types, routines, access methods, and other database objects to suit your needs. You can use application programming interfaces to write user-defined routines and applications that access data in Informix® databases.
DataBlade® API Programmer's GuideThe Informix® DataBlade® API Programmer's Guide describes information about the DataBlade® API, the C-language application programming interface (API) provided with HCL Informix®.
Data manipulation
Complex data typesThis section describes the complex data types and the functions that the DataBlade® API supports to process collection and row-type data.
CollectionsA collection is a complex data type that is made up of elements, each of which has the same data type. A collection is similar to an array in the C language. The DataBlade® API provides support for collections in both their text and binary representations.
Releasing collection resourcesWhen your DataBlade® API module no longer needs a collection, you can release the resources that it uses with the mi_collection_close() and mi_collection_free() functions.
Close a collection

Close a collection

A collection descriptor contains a collection cursor. The scope of the collection descriptor and its associated collection cursor is from the time they are created, by mi_collection_open_with_options() or mi_collection_open(), until one of the following events occurs:

The mi_collection_close() function frees the collection descriptor, thereby closing and freeing the associated collection cursor.
The current memory duration expires. (Server only)
The mi_close() function closes the connection.

To conserve resources, use the mi_collection_close() function to free the collection descriptor as soon as your DataBlade® API module no longer needs it. This function also explicitly closes and frees the associated collection cursor. The mi_collection_close() function is the destructor function for the collection descriptor as well as for its associated cursor.

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