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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®.
Create user-defined routines
Develop a user-defined routineA C user-defined routine (UDR) is a UDR that is written in the C language and uses the server-side implementation of the DataBlade® API to communicate with the database server. C UDRs (functions and procedures) are implemented as C-language functions. DataBlade® modules often include C UDRs that are made available for use by registering them in the database.
Creating UDR codeThis section provides an overview of C UDR development.
Variable declarationIn a C UDR, you declare variables to hold information just as you would in a C function. The DataBlade® API provides many data types for variable declaration.

Variable declaration

In a C UDR, you declare variables to hold information just as you would in a C function. The DataBlade® API provides many data types for variable declaration.

The DataBlade API adds special prefixes to the names of its data types, as the following table shows.


DataBlade API data type	Data type prefix	More information
Data types to hold SQL data types	mi_	DataBlade API, C, and SQL data types
Data type structures that hold information for DataBlade API functions	MI_	DataBlade API data type structures

Correspondence of SQL data types to DataBlade API data types lists where in this publication each of the SQL data types is discussed in detail.

Use the DataBlade API data types for variable declaration in your C UDR even if there is a C-language equivalent. The DataBlade API data types are more portable if your C UDR moves to different computer architectures. For more information, see DataBlade API data types.

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