Informix Error -4390: Only one BEFORE MENU clause is allowed for each MENU statement.

Cause and resolution

Only one BEFORE MENU clause is allowed for each MENU statement.

There can be only one BEFORE block of statements in a MENU. Make sure that the scope of your MENU statements are correctly marked with an END MENU. Then combine all the preparation code for this menu into a single BEFORE MENU block. This error is returned only by 4GL at Version 4.1.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4390 fires when a MENU statement has more than one BEFORE MENU block — per the official guidance, only one BEFORE block is allowed per menu; this error is returned only by 4GL at Version 4.1.

More than one BEFORE MENU block in the same MENU statement, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.
A MENU statement's scope not correctly marked with END MENU, per the official guidance — a related possible cause, causing two menus to be combined.

Solutions / Resolution

Make sure every MENU statement's scope is correctly marked with END MENU, per the official guidance.
Combine all preparation code for this menu into a single BEFORE MENU block, per the official guidance.

Examples

Duplicate BEFORE MENU blocks

MENU "Options"
  BEFORE MENU
    SHOW OPTION 1
  BEFORE MENU
    SHOW OPTION 2
  -- -4390: only one BEFORE MENU block is allowed
END MENU

Corrected

MENU "Options"
  BEFORE MENU
    SHOW OPTION 1
    SHOW OPTION 2
END MENU

Diagnostic Checks

Check every MENU statement for more than one BEFORE MENU block, and check for a missing END MENU combining two menus together.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-4396 — "The MENU declaration at line line-number is not terminated." A related MENU-structure error, about a missing END MENU entirely rather than a duplicate BEFORE MENU block.

A MENU statement has more than one BEFORE MENU block — combine them, checking for a missing END MENU first.