Informix Error -4138: Arrays of CHAR(*) are not allowed.

Reasons / Common Causes

-4138 fires when a type declaration uses ARRAY [ ] OF CHAR(*) — per the official guidance, this isn't a valid type.

1. An array declared with element type CHAR(*), per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

1. Declare the array's element type with an explicit CHAR length, instead of CHAR(*).

Examples

An array of CHAR(*)

DEFINE names ARRAY[10] OF CHAR(*)
-- -4138: CHAR(*) cannot be used as an array element type

Corrected

DEFINE names ARRAY[10] OF CHAR(30)

Diagnostic Checks

1. Check every array declaration for a CHAR(*) element type, and give it an explicit length instead.

Related Errors / Related Topics

No closely related error codes are cross-referenced for -4138 in this set yet.

An array's element type is declared CHAR(*), which isn't valid — give it an explicit length.