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Informix Error -16395: Cannot compare BLOBs to any other value.

Cause and resolution

Cannot compare BLOBs to any other value.

You asked the Debugger to compare a TEXT or BYTE variable in an expression. You cannot use variables of these types for comparisons. (However, you can refer to a substring of a TEXT variable.)

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-16395 fires when a TEXT/BYTE variable is used in a comparison expression — per the official guidance. These types can't be compared, though a TEXT variable's substring can still be referenced.

  1. A TEXT/BYTE variable used in a comparison, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.
Solutions / Resolution
  1. Remove the TEXT/BYTE variable from the comparison, per the official guidance — reference a substring of a TEXT variable instead, if that's what's needed.
Examples
Comparing a TEXT variable
> PRINT mytext = "value"
Corrected — comparing a substring instead
> PRINT mytext[1,5] = "value"
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check the expression for a TEXT/BYTE variable used in a comparison, and remove it or substitute a substring reference.
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -16396 — "Cannot use BLOBs in this expression." The general restriction on using TEXT/BYTE variables in expressions, which comparison is one specific case of.

A TEXT/BYTE variable can't be compared — use a substring reference instead, if needed.