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Informix Error -1231

-1231 Cannot seek within message file.

The application is trying to look up a message text in a message file but receives an error code when it tries to position within the file. This situation indicates some problem with the file itself; possibly it has been corrupted or truncated. Reinstall all files of type .iem from the distribution materials. If you have modified the user-message file, 4glusr.msg, recompile it as well.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-1231 fires when 4GL can't seek within a compiled message (.iem) file — per the official guidance, this points to a problem with the file itself, possibly corruption or truncation.

  1. A corrupted .iem message file, per the official guidance's named possibility.
  2. A truncated .iem message file (an incomplete copy or interrupted install), per the official guidance's other named possibility.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Reinstall all .iem files from the distribution materials, per the official guidance.
  2. If a user-message file (4glusr.msg) has been modified, recompile it, per the official guidance.
Examples
Recompiling a modified user-message file
$ mkmessage 4glusr.msg 4glusr.iem
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check the affected .iem file's integrity (size, corruption) against a known-good copy from the distribution materials.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -1227 — "Message file not found." A related message-file error, about the file being missing entirely rather than present but unseekable.
  • -1229 — "Incompatible message file." A related message-file error, about a version mismatch rather than corruption/truncation.
  • -1232 — "Message buffer too small." Another related message-file-reading error.

The .iem message file is corrupted or truncated — reinstall from distribution materials, or recompile a modified 4glusr.msg.