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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
Create special-purpose UDRsThis section describes how to create special UDRs, such as iterator functions, user-defined aggregates, and optimization functions.
Write a cast functionA cast function is a user-defined function that converts one data type (the source data type), to another data type (the target data type).

Write a cast function

A cast function is a user-defined function that converts one data type (the source data type), to another data type (the target data type).

A cast can be one of the following types:

An implicit cast is a cast that the database server can invoke automatically when it encounters data types that cannot be compared with the system-defined casts.
An explicit cast is a cast that you must specifically invoke, with either the CAST AS keywords or with the cast operator (::).

Tip: This section describes how to create a cast function that is written in C. For general information about how to create user-defined functions and casts, see the Informix® User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide.

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