Informix Error -4004: Member "name" of class "class-name" cannot be accessed in this context.

Cause and resolution

Member "name" of class "class-name" cannot be accessed in this context.

The compiler is aware of the member, but the access control for the member makes it inaccessible in the statement. Check for a PUBLIC, PRIVATE, or PROTECTED declaration. Member variables default to PROTECTED access, but member constants and member functions default to PUBLIC.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4004 fires when code outside a class's permitted access scope references one of its members — per the official guidance, the compiler knows the member exists, but its access control (PUBLIC, PRIVATE, or PROTECTED) makes it inaccessible from this statement. Member variables default to PROTECTED; member constants and functions default to PUBLIC.

A member accessed from outside its PRIVATE/PROTECTED scope, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Check for a PUBLIC, PRIVATE, or PROTECTED declaration on the member, per the official guidance, and adjust either the access level or the accessing code's location.

Examples

Accessing a PROTECTED member variable from outside the class

CLASS Order
  DEFINE total DECIMAL  -- defaults to PROTECTED
END CLASS

DEFINE o Order
LET total = o.total  -- -4004: total is PROTECTED

Corrected

CLASS Order
  DEFINE PUBLIC total DECIMAL
END CLASS

Diagnostic Checks

Check the accessed member's declared (or default) access level, and confirm the accessing code is within a permitted scope, or adjust the access level.

Related Errors / Related Topics

No closely related error codes are cross-referenced for -4004 in this set yet.

A class member is accessed from outside its PRIVATE/PROTECTED scope — check its access level and where it's being accessed from.