Informix Error -4419: The variable used in the CONSTRUCT statement must be a character variable.

Cause and resolution

The variable used in the CONSTRUCT statement must be a character variable.

The name following the word CONSTRUCT must be that of a variable defined as CHARACTER or VARCHAR. It ought to be a long variable, since the string it receives may be long. Check the spelling of the name. If it is as you intended, find and inspect the DEFINE statement to see why it is not a character type.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4419 fires when CONSTRUCT's target variable isn't CHAR/VARCHAR — per the official guidance, it should also be a long variable, since the constructed string may be long.

CONSTRUCT's target variable isn't CHAR/VARCHAR, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Check the spelling of the name, per the official guidance.
If it's as intended, inspect the DEFINE statement to see why it isn't a character type, per the official guidance, and declare it with sufficient length.

Examples

CONSTRUCT on a non-character variable

DEFINE query_clause INTEGER
CONSTRUCT BY NAME query_clause ON order_id, order_date
-- -4419: query_clause must be CHAR/VARCHAR

Corrected

DEFINE query_clause CHAR(200)
CONSTRUCT BY NAME query_clause ON order_id, order_date

Diagnostic Checks

Check the DEFINE statement of CONSTRUCT's target variable, and confirm it's CHAR/VARCHAR with sufficient length.

Related Errors / Related Topics

No closely related error codes are cross-referenced for -4419 in this set yet.

CONSTRUCT's target variable isn't CHAR/VARCHAR — check its declaration and give it sufficient length.