Informix Error -2987

Reasons / Common Causes

-2987 fires when a form specification defines more screen layouts than the form compiler supports — per the official guidance, this is a hard restriction on the number of screens permitted in one form.

1. Too many SCREEN layouts defined in one form, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Find a way to simplify the form, per the official guidance — for example, by splitting the form's screens across multiple forms.

Examples

Simplifying an oversized multi-screen form

Split a form with many alternate screen layouts (e.g. one per view mode) into separate forms selected at runtime by the calling program, rather than defining them all in one form specification.

Diagnostic Checks

1. Count the SCREEN layouts in the form specification, and reduce them if the compiler reports this limit exceeded.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -2986 — "The form specification has exceeded the maximum of limit master/detail pairs." A related form-size limit, about too many master/detail pairs rather than too many screen layouts.

The form defines too many screen layouts for the compiler to support — simplify the form, e.g. by splitting it into multiple forms.