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Open Client Client-Library/C Reference Manual

Preface

Preface

This document, the Open Client Client-Library/C Reference Manual, contains reference information for the C version of Open Client Client-Libraryä.

Audience

The Client-Library Reference Manual is designed to serve as a reference manual for programmers who are writing Client-Library applications. It is written for application programmers familiar with the C programming language.

How to Use This Book

When writing a Client-Library application, use the Client-Library Reference Manual as a source of reference information.

Chapter 1, "Introducing Client-Library," contains a brief introduction to Client-Library.

Chapter 2, "Topics," contains information on how to accomplish specific programming tasks, such as using Client-Library routines to read a text or image value from the server. This chapter also contains information on Client-Library structures, options, error messages, and conventions.

Chapter 3, "Routines," contains specific information about each Client-Library routine, such as what parameters the routine takes and what it returns.

Although there is some introductory material about application development in this manual, it is highly recommended that applications programmers read the Client-Library Programmer's Guide before designing a Client-Library application.

Related Documents

The Open Client/Server Installation Guide explains how to install Client-Library.

The Client-Library Programmer's Guide contains information on how to design and implement Client-Library programs.

The Open Client and Open Server Common Libraries Reference Manual contains reference information for:

• CS-Libraryä
• Client-Library and Server-Libraryä bulk copy routines

The Open Client/Server Supplement contains platform-specific material for Open Client/Server products. This document includes information about:

• Open Client compatibility with pre-10.0 server releases
• The interfaces file
• Compiling and linking an application
• The example programs that are included on-line with Open Client/Server products
• Routines that have platform-specific behaviors
• Localization

Other Sources of Information

SYBASE® documents include a wide range of user guides and reference manuals which describe all aspects of the SYBASE relational database management system. Because application development can draw on a number of different parts of the SYBASE system, you may encounter most of the SYBASE document set at some time or another. A few manuals, however, will prove to be particularly useful:

• The SQL Server Reference Manual describes the Transact-SQL® database language, which an application uses to create and manipulate SYBASE SQL Serverä database objects.
• The Open Client DB-Library Reference Manual describes DB-Libraryä. Like Client-Library, DB-Library is a collection of routines for use in writing client applications.
• The Open Server Server-Library Reference Manual contains reference information for Open Server Server-Library, a collection of routines for use in writing Open Serverä applications.
• The APT Workbench User's Guide documents APT-Editä, used to create forms and specify their processing, and APT-SQLä, a fourth-generation language for developing forms-based applications.
• APT Workbenchä reference manuals include:
  • The APT-Edit Reference Manual, which contains detailed information about the forms editor
  • The APT-SQL Reference Manual, which contains detailed information on the APT-SQL language
  • The APT-Library/C Reference Manual, which describes the library of C routines that give an application access to APT-Edit forms
• The Data Workbench User's Guide describes Data Workbench, a set of tools that provide forms-based, interactive access to SQL Server. Since Data Workbench uses the SYBASE forms run-time system, it can serve as a valuable example of how a forms-based application looks and feels.

Conventions

Client-Library routine syntax is shown in a bold, monospace font:

CS_RETCODE ct_init(context, version)

CS_CONTEXT     *context;
CS_INT         version;

Program text and computer output are shown in a monospace font:

ct_init(mycontext, CS_VERSION_100);

Structure names and symbolic constants are shown in small capital letters:

CS_CONTEXT, CS_SYNC_IO

Routine names and Transact-SQL keywords are written in a narrow, bold font:

ct_init, the select statement

Code Fragments

Code fragments in this book are taken from the on-line example programs that are included with Client-Library.

The example programs, and consequently the code fragments in this book, use EX_*, Ex_*, and ex_* #defines, variables, and routines.

These #defines, variables, and routines are part of the example programs but not a part of Client-Library.

If You Need Help

Help is available for your SYBASE software in the form of documentation, on-line help, and a Technical Support Center.

On-Line Help

If you have access to a 10.0 SQL Server, you can use sp_syntax, a SYBASE system procedure, to retrieve the syntax of Client-Library routines.

For information on how to install sp_syntax, see the System Administration Guide Supplement for your platform. For information on how to run sp_syntax, see its manual page in Volume 2 of the SQL Server Reference Manual.

Technical Support

Your company has designated someone with the authority to contact Sybase Technical Support. If you cannot resolve a problem using the information in the Sybase documentation, ask that person to contact Sybase Technical Support for you.