Informix Error -4390

-4390 Only one BEFORE MENU clause is allowed for each MENU statement.

There can be only one BEFORE block of statements in a MENU. Make sure that the scope of your MENU statements are correctly marked with an END MENU. Then combine all the preparation code for this menu into a single BEFORE MENU block. This error is returned only by 4GL at Version 4.1.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4390 fires when a MENU statement has more than one BEFORE MENU block — per the official guidance, only one BEFORE block is allowed per menu; this error is returned only by 4GL at Version 4.1.

More than one BEFORE MENU block in the same MENU statement, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.
A MENU statement's scope not correctly marked with END MENU, per the official guidance — a related possible cause, causing two menus to be combined.

Solutions / Resolution

Make sure every MENU statement's scope is correctly marked with END MENU, per the official guidance.
Combine all preparation code for this menu into a single BEFORE MENU block, per the official guidance.

Examples

Duplicate BEFORE MENU blocks

MENU "Options"
  BEFORE MENU
    SHOW OPTION 1
  BEFORE MENU
    SHOW OPTION 2
  -- -4390: only one BEFORE MENU block is allowed
END MENU

Corrected

MENU "Options"
  BEFORE MENU
    SHOW OPTION 1
    SHOW OPTION 2
END MENU

Diagnostic Checks

Check every MENU statement for more than one BEFORE MENU block, and check for a missing END MENU combining two menus together.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-4396 — "The MENU declaration at line line-number is not terminated." A related MENU-structure error, about a missing END MENU entirely rather than a duplicate BEFORE MENU block.

A MENU statement has more than one BEFORE MENU block — combine them, checking for a missing END MENU first.