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Informix Error -16363

-16363 Variable in function function-name is not active.

You named a variable whose value is assigned by a function that has not yet been called or by a function that has already returned. A LET or PRINT command can refer to only an active variable; that is, one global or assigned in a function that is currently executing (a function that a WHERE command lists). When you enter a CALL command, you must substitute a literal value for an expression that needs an inactive variable.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-16363 fires when a LET/PRINT command references a variable assigned by a function that hasn't been called yet, or has already returned — per the official guidance. These commands can only reference an active variable: global, or assigned in a function currently executing (one a WHERE command lists).

  1. A variable belonging to a not-yet-called or already-returned function, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Only reference global variables or variables in a currently executing function, per the official guidance.
  2. In a CALL command, substitute a literal value for an expression needing an inactive variable, per the official guidance.
Examples
N/A

No specific triggering statement is documented beyond referencing an inactive variable.

Diagnostic Checks
  1. Use WHERE to check which functions are currently executing, and confirm the variable belongs to one of them or is global.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -16357 — "Function function-name is not active." The same inactive-function restriction, worded for the function generally rather than a specific variable within it.

The variable belongs to a function that isn't currently executing — check WHERE, or substitute a literal value in a CALL.