🔌 ZimAPI Developer Guide (C# Edition)

🚀 What Is ZimAPI?

ZimAPI for C# is a powerful interface that connects your .NET applications directly to the ZIM database engine. It enables developers to execute ZIM and SQL commands, manage transactions, transfer files, and interact with persistent data sets—all within a C# environment.

But ZimAPI is more than just a connector. It’s a gateway to ZIM’s integrated database, which offers a unique and developer-friendly feature: automatic data set creation and session-based persistence.

🧠 Why ZIM Is Different

Unlike traditional SQL databases like MySQL or PostgreSQL, ZIM automatically creates a data set every time a query is executed. These data sets behave like dynamic views and remain available for the entire session—no need to define or manage them manually.

In other systems, a developer must explicitly request a view or cache query results. In ZIM, this happens automatically:

FIND 5 Customers -> sCustomers

This creates a set named sCustomers containing up to 5 customer records. You can interact with this set throughout the session:

DELETE 1 FROM sCustomers

Once the API session ends, ZIM automatically drops the data set. When a new session begins, a fresh set is created based on the new query context.

🛠️ Installation

After completing the full ZIM installation:

1. Locate zimapi.cs in your ZIM installation directory.
2. Copy it to the directory where your C# application will be developed.
3. Reference the compiled ZimAPI.dll in your project.

🌐 Globals

ZimAPI provides several global constants for convenience:

🔗 Connecting to ZIM

Basic Setup

using ZimConnection;

ZimAPI Conn = new ZimAPI();
Conn.Connect("DatabaseName", "localhost", 6002, "ZIM", "");
System.Console.WriteLine(Conn.State);
Conn.Close();

Inline Constructor

using ZimConnection;

ZimAPI Conn = new ZimAPI("DatabaseName", "localhost", 6002, "ZIM", "");
System.Console.WriteLine(Conn.State);
Conn.Close();

Note:

• DatabaseName is required.
• HostName defaults to "localhost"
• PortNumber defaults to 6002 (must match zimconfig.srv if changed)
• UserName defaults to "ZIM"
• Password defaults to ""

🧩 Core Methods

Conn.Execute(command)

Executes a ZIM or SQL command.

if Conn.Execute("DELETE 1 Customers WHERE CustCode = 1") == 0
    System.Console("Executed successfully.")
elseif Conn.State = 1001
    System.Console("Record not found.")
else
    System.Console("Error executing statement. Error Code is = " + Conn.State + ".")
endif

Conn.Transaction(), Conn.Commit(), Conn.Rollback()

Control explicit transactions for atomic operations.

Conn.Transaction();
Conn.Execute("UPDATE Customers SET Status = 'Active' WHERE CustCode = 1");
Conn.Commit();

Or roll back if needed:

Conn.Rollback();

Conn.Callproc(procedure)

Call a ZIM procedure with input/output parameters.

string[] Result = Conn.Callproc("MyProc(\"12\", 7, \"?\", \"?\")");

if Result[1] != null and Result[2] != null
    System.Console("Result: " + Result[1] + ", " + Result[2])
else
    System.Console("Procedure returned no output.")
endif

Conn.Putfile() / Conn.Getfile()

Transfer files between client and server.

Conn.Putfile("local.txt", "/server/data.txt", "/A");  // Upload text file
Conn.Getfile("/server/data.txt", "local_copy.txt", "/A");  // Download it back

Conn.ErrorMessage() / Conn.ErrorCode()

Retrieve the last error message or code.

System.Console("Error: " + Conn.ErrorMessage());
System.Console("Code: " + Conn.ErrorCode());

🧵 Cursors & Sets: ZIM’s Secret Weapon

ZIM’s automatic data sets are one of its most powerful features. These sets persist for the duration of the session and behave like dynamic views.

Create and Use a Cursor

ZimAPI.ZimCursor MyCursor = Conn.Cursor("FIND 5 Customers");

while MyCursor.RowCount() > 0
    string row = MyCursor.FetchOne();
    System.Console(row);
endwhile

Or:

ZimAPI.ZimCursor MyCursor = Conn.Cursor();
MyCursor.Execute("FIND 5 Customers");

Cursor Utilities

📦 Sets: Persistent Views of Data

Sets are logical collections of rows that persist across the session. They behave like views and can be reused across multiple operations.

Create a Set

ZimAPI.ZimCursor MyCursor = Conn.Cursor("FIND 5 Customers -> sCustomers");

Manipulate the Set

MyCursor.Execute("DELETE 1 FROM sCustomers");

Use sets to:

• Cache filtered data
• Perform batch operations
• Share views across procedures

🧪 Real-World Use Cases

✅ 1. Smart Form Logic

Use ZimAPI to dynamically change UI elements based on backend data.

🔄 2. Transactional Integrity

Wrap multiple operations in a transaction to ensure atomicity.

📞 3. Business Logic via Procedures

Trigger backend logic stored in ZIM procedures—like calculating discounts or validating credentials.

📁 4. Secure File Sync

Automate secure file transfers between client and server for compliance logs or audit trails.

📊 5. Dashboard Integration

Pull live data from ZIM into a C#-based dashboard using cursors and sets.

🧭 Summary

ZimAPI for C# is a powerful and developer-friendly interface that brings ZIM’s integrated database and automatic data set creation into your .NET applications. It simplifies data access, enhances performance, and reduces boilerplate code—making it ideal for enterprise automation, smart dashboards, and intelligent safety systems.

Whether you’re modernizing legacy infrastructure or building new solutions, ZimAPI gives you the tools to do it efficiently and elegantly.