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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
Extend data typesThis section describes the ways to extend data types with C user-defined routines (UDRs).
Create an Opaque Data TypeThis section describes how to design and write an opaque data type.
Write opaque-type support functionsThe database server does not know the internal representation of an opaque type. To handle the internal representation, you write opaque-type support functions. These support functions tell the database server how to interact with the opaque type.

Write opaque-type support functions

The database server does not know the internal representation of an opaque type. To handle the internal representation, you write opaque-type support functions. These support functions tell the database server how to interact with the opaque type.

The following table summarizes the opaque-type support functions.


Category of support function	Opaque-type support functions	More information
Support functions as casts	input, output receive, send, import, export importbin, exportbin	Support functions as casts
Stream support functions	streamwrite(), streamread()	Stream support functions
Disk-storage support functions	assign(), destroy()	Disk-storage support functions
Other support functions	compare(), deepcopy(), update()	The Informix® User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide

The following sections provide information specific to the development of the opaque-type support functions as C UDRs. For a general discussion of opaque-type support functions, see the Informix User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide.

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