Informix Error -33084: The lvarchar host variable('<variable-name>') should be an array </variable-name> or a pointer.

Cause and resolution

The lvarchar host variable('<variable-name>') should be an array </variable-name> or a pointer.

This message is only a warning; compilation continues. ESQL/C does not know the size of the lvarchar host variable. Although syntactically correct, this might cause a problem in your application.

Specify the variable as an array or a pointer.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-33084 is a preprocessor warning — per the official guidance, ESQL/C doesn't know the size of the flagged lvarchar host variable, which is syntactically legal but may cause an application problem.

An lvarchar host variable declared as neither an array nor a pointer, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Specify the variable as an array or a pointer, per the official guidance.

Examples

An lvarchar host variable declared as a plain scalar

EXEC SQL BEGIN DECLARE SECTION;
lvarchar myvar;
-- -33084: myvar's size is unknown; should be an array or pointer
EXEC SQL END DECLARE SECTION;

Corrected

EXEC SQL BEGIN DECLARE SECTION;
lvarchar myvar[256];
EXEC SQL END DECLARE SECTION;

Diagnostic Checks

Check the flagged lvarchar host variable's declaration, and change it to an array or a pointer with a known size.

Related Errors / Related Topics

No closely related error codes are cross-referenced for -33084 in this set yet.

An lvarchar host variable's size was unknown (not declared as an array or pointer) — fix the declaration to specify one.