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Informix Error -1229

-1229 Incompatible message file.

4GL is trying to look up a message text in a message file, but the file contents do not match the current version of the product. Possibly the file is corrupt; possibly a message file from a prior version is present. The file has a suffix of .iem and exists in the etc subdirectory of the path that the INFORMIXDIR environment variable identifies. Reinstall such files from the distribution materials. If you have started to modify the user-message file, 4glusr.msg, make sure that you are recompiling it with a current version of the mkmessage utility.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-1229 fires when 4GL looks up a message in a .iem file whose contents don't match the current product version — per the official guidance, this is the 4GL-runtime equivalent of -1122's form-level case, typically from file corruption or an outdated file left over from a previous product version.

  1. A corrupted .iem message file, per the official guidance's named possibility.
  2. An outdated .iem message file from a previous product version, per the official guidance's other named possibility.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Reinstall these files from the original distribution materials, per the official guidance — the .iem files live in the etc subdirectory referenced by INFORMIXDIR.
  2. If 4glusr.msg was modified, recompile it using the current mkmessage utility, per the official guidance.
Examples
Recompiling with the current mkmessage
$ mkmessage 4glusr.msg 4glusr.iem
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check the .iem files under $INFORMIXDIR/etc for corruption or an outdated version, and reinstall or recompile as needed.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -1122 — "Incompatible message file." A related error, at the form-level OPTIONS HELP FILE layer rather than 4GL's own runtime message files.
  • -1227 — "Message file not found." A related error, about the file being missing entirely.
  • -1228 — "Message number not found in message file." A related error, about a specific number missing from an otherwise-valid file.

The .iem message file's contents don't match the current product version — reinstall from distribution materials, or recompile a customized 4glusr.msg with the current mkmessage.