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Informix Error -4382

-4382 Cannot expand a structure with an array member.

The ".*" and THROUGH notation cannot be used to expand a record with an array member, except in the LET statement. Error -4382 with this meaning is issued by NewEra.

-4382 Record variables that contain array type elements may not be referenced by the ".*" or THROUGH shorthand, or used as a function parameter.

You can define a record that contains an array as one of its components. However, you must always list that component by its full designation of record.part[n]. The asterisk or THRU notation is only shorthand for a list of the names of the components of the record. It cannot produce the bracketed subscript after the name of the array component.

A record that contains an array component cannot be used as a parameter to a function. However, you can use the array component itself as a function parameter if you spell out its name as record.part. Error -4382 with this meaning is issued by NewEra.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4382 covers two related variants of the same restriction, per the official guidance:

  1. NewEra: .*/THRU notation can't expand a record with an array member, except in a LET statement.

  2. 4GL: a record containing an array component can't be referenced via .*/THRU shorthand, or used as a function parameter — the array component must always be listed with its full designation, record.part[n], since .*/THRU shorthand can't produce a bracketed subscript after an array component's name.

  3. A record containing an array member, expanded via .*/THRU notation, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution
  1. List the array component by its full designation, record.part[n], per the official guidance, instead of relying on .*/THRU shorthand.
  2. In NewEra, a LET statement is the one context where this expansion is still permitted, per the official guidance.
Examples
Expanding a record with an array member
DEFINE rec RECORD
  order_id INTEGER,
  items ARRAY[5] OF INTEGER
END RECORD

DISPLAY rec.*
-- -4382: rec contains an array member, items
Corrected
DISPLAY rec.order_id, rec.items[1], rec.items[2], rec.items[3], rec.items[4], rec.items[5]
Diagnostic Checks
  1. Check every .*/THRU expansion of a record, and confirm it has no array member; if it does, list the array component explicitly with record.part[n].
Related Errors / Related Topics
  • -4098 — "Type of expression that is expanded must be class or record." A related expansion-notation error, about the base expression not being a record/class at all, rather than a record with an unsupported array member.

A record with an array member can't be expanded via .*/THRU — list the array component explicitly instead.