Informix Error -1272: No input buffer has been specified.

Reasons / Common Causes

-1272 fires when a conversion function is called without an input string argument — per the official guidance, the conversion can't proceed without one; some such functions may also require formatting directives defined via the DBTIME environment variable.

1. The input-string argument left unset/NULL when calling the conversion function, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.
2. Required DBTIME formatting directives not defined, per the official guidance's parenthetical note, for functions that depend on them.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Set the input-string argument, and call the function again, per the official guidance.
2. Define formatting directives with the DBTIME environment variable, per the official guidance, if the specific function requires them.

Examples

Calling without an input string

/* Illustrative: a conversion function whose first argument is the raw
   ASCII string to be parsed into a DATETIME/INTERVAL value (distinct
   from a format string) — passing NULL/empty for that argument is what
   -1272 reports. The exact function and argument order should be
   confirmed against the specific product/version documentation before
   relying on this as a literal call signature. */
rc = some_ascii_to_datetime_function(NULL, &date_val);
-- -1272: no input string was supplied

Corrected

rc = some_ascii_to_datetime_function("2024-01-15", &date_val);

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check the input-string argument passed to the conversion function, and confirm it's not NULL/empty.
2. Check whether DBTIME needs to be set for the specific function being called.

Related Errors / Related Topics

No closely related error codes are cross-referenced for -1272 in this set yet.

No input string was supplied to the conversion function — set the argument (and DBTIME, if the function requires it).