Informix Error -2880

Reasons / Common Causes

-2880 fires when a form specification is missing its required SCREEN or END keyword — per the official guidance, every form specification must end in the keyword END and must contain the keyword SCREEN, and both must begin in the first column of a line.

1. A missing SCREEN or END keyword, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.
2. SCREEN or END present but not starting in column 1 of its line, per the official guidance — a related indentation cause.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Review the form specification to make sure all necessary sections are properly marked, per the official guidance, confirming SCREEN and END are both present and start in the first column of their line.

Examples

END missing / indented

SCREEN
{
...
}
  END
-- -2880: END is indented, not starting in column 1

Corrected

SCREEN
{
...
}
END

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check that both SCREEN and END are present in the form specification, and that each starts in the first column of its own line.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -2890 — "A screen definition must begin with a left curly bracket '{'." A related form-structure punctuation error, about the screen layout's opening brace rather than the SCREEN/END keywords themselves.

SCREEN or END is missing, or not starting in column 1 — every form specification requires both.