The ifx_rc_describe() function

The ifx_rc_describe() function returns descriptive information about the data type for a row or collection or for an element that is in a row or collection.

Syntax

ifx_rc_describe(rchandle, fieldnum, fieldname, typecode, 
  columnsize, decdigits, nullable, typename, typeowner)

Arguments

The function accepts the following arguments.
Argument Type Use Description
rchandle HINFX_RC Input Handle for a row or collection buffer
fieldnum SQL_SMALLINT Input Field number. If this value is 0, the function returns information for the entire row or collection. For a collection, any value other than 0 causes the function to return information for the elements that are in the collection. For a row, this value specifies the element for which the function returns information.
fieldname SQL_CHAR Output Field name. The function returns this value only for an element that is in a row.
typecode SQL_SMALLINT Output Informix® ODBC Driver SQL data type of the element
columnsize SQL_INTEGER Output Column size. For a character element, this value is the size of the column, in bytes. For a numeric element, this value is the precision. For other data types, the function does not return this value.
decdigits SQL_SMALLINT Output Decimal digits. For a numeric element, this value is the number of digits after the decimal point. For other data types, the function does not return this value.
nullable SQL_SMALLINT Output Null indicator. The possible values are:
  • SQL_NO_NULLS
  • SQL_NULLABLE
typename SQL_CHAR Output Type name. For a named row, this value is the name of the row. For collections and unnamed rows, the function does not return this value.
typeowner SQL_CHAR Output Type owner. This value is the name of the owner of the data type. This name can be up to 18 characters long.

Usage

The ifx_rc_describe() function returns information about the data type for a row or collection or for an element that is in a row or collection. For elements that are in a collection, this information is the same for all elements that are in the collection. This function does not change the seek position.