RE: LENGTH() in stored procedure

I think you should be able to use the 'trim()' function: let c_2000 = trim(c_2000) || "|" || "some text" this worked for me (On-Line 7.22) } -----Original Message----- } From: Jonathan Leffler [SMTP:johnl@informix.com] } Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 1997 6:43 PM } To: Nagesh Daliparthy } Cc: informix-list@rmy.emory.edu } Subject: Re: LENGTH() in stored procedure } } On Wed, 17 Dec 1997, Nagesh Daliparthy wrote: } > I want to retrieve some data from a table , convert all into string, } > concatinate with a delimiter and return only one CHAR variable } c_2000 of } > declared size of 2000. } > } > I new when I store one character the c_2000 will be padded with } spaces upto } > 2000. So I tried as follows } > } > LET c_2000 = c_2000[1, LENGTH(c_2000)] || "|" || "some text" ; } > [...] } > } > While creating the procedure I got error 201 at character position } > pointing to LENGTH or p_len as the case may be. Can any one explain } > why the error 201 is coming? } } Because the syntax is erroneous! } } You can only use literal numbers in substrings in SPL, as in [1,10]. } } You cannot have any variables, let alone complex expressions like a } length function. If you really need 2000 characters, you're pretty } much stuck; if you don't really need more than 255, you can probably } use VARCHAR to get around the problem. LVARCHAR might work if you } have IUS (or is that IDS-UDO now?). } } This is one of the biggest limitations in SPL. The 7.3 release will } have a set of SUBSTR() functions and the like which will presumably be } usable in SPL, thereby getting around the problem. In the interim, } you can play with horribly long-winded SPs to play with substrings, as } in the UPPER and LOWER stored procedures that periodically show up on } the list, but they are excruciating to write and slow to execute. } } Yours, } Jonathan Leffler (johnl@informix.com) #include <witticism.h>