Opaque data type support routines
BladeSmith enables you to generate support routine code for opaque data types. You might have to add code to implement the functionality your opaque data type requires.
The following table describes the support routines you can create
and indicates the categories of opaque types for which they are recommended
| Function | Recommended for | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Text input and output | All opaque types | Convert between external and internal representations. |
| Send and receive | All opaque types | Convert between internal representation on the database server and client computers. Not available for Java™. |
| Text import and export | All opaque types | Process opaque types for bulk loading and unloading as textual data to and from a file. |
| Import binary and export binary | All opaque types | Process opaque types for bulk loading and unloading as binary data to and from a file. Not available for Java. |
| Assign() and Destroy() | Large objects and multi-representational types | Stores or deletes data on disk just before a commit: for example, to ensure proper reference counting on smart large objects. Not available for ActiveX. |
| LOhandles() | Large objects and multi-representational types | Returns the large object handle or list of large-object handles in opaque types that contain smart large objects. Not available for ActiveX. |
| Compare() | Opaque data types sorted by a B-tree or R-tree index | Sorts opaque type data within SQL statements and supports the B-tree and R-tree access method. |
| Statistics support | All opaque types | Compile information about the values in an opaque data type column that the optimizer can use to create a query plan. Not available for Java or ActiveX. |
For a description of creating opaque types and their support routines, see the Informix® DataBlade® Developers Kit User's Guide or the Informix User-Defined Routines and Data Types Developer's Guide.