About the DataBlade Developers Kit Tutorial

DataBlade Developers Kit Tutorial

About the DataBlade Developers Kit Tutorial

The DataBlade Developers Kit Tutorial is a set of exercises that demonstrate creating extensions to Informix Dynamic Server and packaging them as DataBlade modules using the DataBlade Developer Kit.

Note: You should have a basic understanding of extensibility before you start this tutorial. The focus of this tutorial is on creating extensions, not on defining them. To learn about extensibility, read the "DataBlade Module Development Overview."

The DataBlade Developers Kit consists of three tools:

BladeSmith. For defining the objects that your DataBlade module creates and generating code templates for them
BladePack. For packaging a final installable version of a DataBlade module
BladeManager. For registering DataBlade modules in databases

In the first exercise, AddInts, you learn how to use BladeSmith and BladeManager by creating a simple DataBlade module. All tutorial users should start with Exercise 1.

Exercises 2 through 6 demonstrate how to create DataBlade modules and debug them. Each exercise is more complex than the previous; you can choose to either work through the exercises sequentially or pick just the ones that interest you.

The tutorial contains the following exercises:

1. Creating a Simple User-Defined Routine

2. Debugging a DataBlade Module

3. Creating Distinct Data Types and Casts

4. Creating Row Data Types

5. Creating Opaque Data Types

6. Using Interfaces

7. Using Smart Large Objects

Tips

At the beginning and end of each exercise you can use a drop-down list of exercises, giving you access to any of the other exercises. You can also click buttons to go to the InfoShelf home page, to this page, or to print this tutorial.

Sample code is shown in blue, like the following fragment:

Gen_RetVal = Int1 + Int2;

When adding code to your source files, you can cut and paste code from this tutorial.

This tutorial has links to C source code (.c) files and SQL (.sql) files. How these files are displayed depends on your setting in Windows Explorer. For example, if you have .c files set to open in Microsoft Developer Studio, then when you click a link to a .c file in the tutorial, the file displays in Microsoft Developer Studio. If you do not have .c and .sql files configured to be opened by another application, the files display in your browser. In that case, you must use your browser's Back command to return to the tutorial.

Software Dependencies

To use this tutorial, you need the following Informix software:

The DataBlade Developers Kit, Version 3.7
Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option, Version 9.14 or 9.13
The Informix Client Software Developer's Kit

Exercise 2 requires Microsoft Developer Studio Visual C++, Version 4.2 or later.

See the Read Me First for the DataBlade Developers Kit for system requirements.