Informix Error -4303: A blob variable or cursor name expected.

Cause and resolution

A blob variable or cursor name expected.

The argument to the FREE statement must be the name of a cursor or prepared statement or, in 4GL, the name of a variable with the BYTE or TEXT data type.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4303 fires when FREE's argument isn't a valid target — per the official guidance, FREE must name a cursor, a prepared statement, or (in 4GL) a BYTE/TEXT-typed variable.

FREE's argument isn't a declared cursor, prepared statement, or BYTE/TEXT variable, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Pass a valid cursor name, prepared statement name, or BYTE/TEXT variable to FREE.

Examples

FREE with an invalid argument

DEFINE qty INTEGER
FREE qty
-- -4303: qty is INTEGER, not a cursor, prepared statement, or BLOB variable

Corrected

DEFINE photo BYTE
FREE photo

Diagnostic Checks

Check the argument passed to FREE, and confirm it's a cursor, prepared statement, or BYTE/TEXT variable.

Related Errors / Related Topics

No closely related error codes are cross-referenced for -4303 in this set yet.

FREE's argument isn't a valid cursor, prepared statement, or BLOB variable — check what's being passed.