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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
Smart large objects
Storing a smart large object in a databaseTo store a smart large object in a database, you must save its LO handle in a column. This section describes the valid data types to hold an LO handle and how to access a smart large object.
Valid data types
Opaque data typeAn opaque data type is a user-defined atomic data type. You can define a field of an opaque data type to be a smart large object. The support functions of the opaque type must perform the conversion between the LO handle in the opaque type and the smart-large-object data in the sbspace.

Opaque data type

An opaque data type is a user-defined atomic data type. You can define a field of an opaque data type to be a smart large object. The support functions of the opaque type must perform the conversion between the LO handle in the opaque type and the smart-large-object data in the sbspace.

In A smart large object in a database column, the emp_picture column can be an opaque data type named picture instead of a BLOB data type. The picture data type can hold the image in a smart large object in one field of its internal structure and other information about the picture in other fields.

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