Informix DataBlade API Programmer's Manual DataBlade API Function Descriptions

The mi_get_varlen() accessor function returns the length of the data in stored in a varying-length structure (such as mi_lvarchar).

mi_integer mi_get_varlen(varlen_ptr)

mi_lvarchar *varlen_ptr;

varlen_ptr

is a pointer to a varying-length structure.

Valid in Client LIBMI Application?	Valid in User-Defined Routine?
Yes	Yes

The mi_get_varlen() function obtains the length of the varying-length data from the varying-length structure that varlen_ptr references. This returned length is the actual length of the varying-length structure. It does not include the length of the other fields of the varying-length structure.

Important: The varying-length structure that "varlen_ptr" references is an opaque structure. Do not access the fields of this structure directly. Instead, use mi_get_varlen() to obtain the data length from this structure.

The data in a varying-length structure is not null terminated. Use the mi_get_varlen() function to obtain the data length, which you can then use to access the varying-length data.

Although the varlen_ptr argument is declared as a pointer to an mi_lvarchar, you can also use the mi_get_varlen() function to obtain data length from other varying-length data types, such as mi_sendrecv.

See the description of the following functions: mi_get_vardata(), mi_get_vardata_align(), mi_new_var(), mi_set_varlen(), and mi_var_free().

For more information, see Accessing a Varying-Length Structure.