INFORMIX-GLS Programmer's Manual Introduction

This manual describes the global language support (GLS) application programming interface (API) available in Informix products. INFORMIX-GLS provides INFORMIX-ESQL/C and DataBlade module programmers the ability to write programs (or change existing programs) to handle different languages, cultural conventions, and code sets.

This manual is written for DataBlade module developers and ESQL/C programmers who want to internationalize their applications with INFORMIX-GLS.

This manual assumes that you have the following background:

• A working knowledge of your computer, your operating system, and the utilities that your operating system provides
• Some experience working with relational databases or exposure to database concepts
• Some experience with computer programming

If you have limited experience with relational databases, SQL, or your operating system, refer to your Getting Started manual for a list of supplementary titles.

This manual assumes that you are using an Informix database server that supports GLS and either INFORMIX-ESQL/C or the DataBlade API. In places where this manual presents database server-specific information, this information applies to one of the following database servers:

• Informix Dynamic Server
• Informix Dynamic Server with Advanced Decision Support and Extended Parallel Options
• Informix Dynamic Server with Universal Data Option
• Informix Dynamic Server, Workgroup Edition
• INFORMIX-SE

If you are using a database server that is not listed here, see your release notes for information about client behavior on your database server.

Portions of this manual were derived from the X/Open CAE Specifications, published by X/Open Company Ltd., U.K.

Informix products can support many languages, cultures, and code sets. All culture-specific information is brought together in a single environment, called a GLS locale.

The examples in this manual are written with the assumption that you are using the default locale, en_us.8859-1. This locale supports U.S. English format conventions for dates, times, and currency. In addition, this locale supports the ISO8859-1 code set, which includes the ASCII code set plus many 8-bit characters such as é, è, and ñ.

If you plan to use nondefault characters in your data or your SQL identifiers, or if you want to conform to the nondefault collation rules of character data, you need to specify the appropriate nondefault locale.

For instructions on how to specify a nondefault locale, additional syntax, and other considerations related to GLS locales, see the Informix Guide to GLS Functionality.

The DB-Access utility, which is provided with your Informix database server products, includes one or more demonstration databases that contain information about a fictitious wholesale sporting-goods distributor. You can create and populate these demonstration databases with command files that are included with the database server.

Many examples in Informix manuals are based on these databases. For a complete explanation of how to create and populate the demonstration databases, refer to the DB-Access User Manual. For a description of the demonstration databases and their contents, see the Informix Guide to SQL: Reference.

The scripts that you use to install the demonstration databases reside in the $INFORMIXDIR/bin directory on UNIX and in the %INFORMIXDIR%\bin directory on Windows.