Need for Informix CSDK to compile C extensions

Compiling C Extensions requires now the Informix CSDK.

Note: This upgrade note is related to C Extensions or ESQL/C Extensions, and can be ignored if your application does not use such extensions.

To compile C or ESQL/C extensions manipulating data types like DECIMAL, you need IBM^® Informix^® data type structure definitions such as dec_t, dtime_t, intrvl_t, as well as macros like DECLEN() or TU_ENCODE(). Before version 2.32, these C structure and macros where provided in the files of the FGLDIR/include/f2c directory.

Genero BDL version 2.32 does no longer provide the IBM Informix ESQL/C structure definitions in FGLDIR/include/f2c files, because we have identified that some of the definitions are platform specific. However, to compile your C extensions, you need these definitions if your extensions use complex data types such as DECIMAL, DATETIME/INTERVAL, BYTE/TEXT. The definitions are not required if you use standard C types such as int or char[].

Starting with version 2.32, you need to install an IBM Informix CSDK on your development machine in order to get the structure and macro definitions to compile your C extensions. Understand that the IBM Informix CSDK is only required on the development platform. It is not required to install the CSDK on the production machines, except of course if you want to connect to an IBM Informix database server.