Informix Error -4408: There is a quoted string that is too long in the above line.

Cause and resolution

There is a quoted string that is too long in the above line.

The limit on the length of a literal character string is 256 characters. However, in the DISPLAY and LET statements you can concatenate shorter literal strings using the comma. See message -4406 for an example.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4408 fires when a literal character string exceeds 256 characters — per the official guidance, this is a hard limit; DISPLAY/LET statements can concatenate shorter literals with commas instead (see -4406 for an example).

A single literal string longer than 256 characters, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Split the literal into shorter strings and concatenate them with commas in a DISPLAY/LET statement, per the official guidance.

Examples

Splitting an oversized literal

DISPLAY "first part of a very long string",
        "second part of a very long string"

Diagnostic Checks

Check the length of the flagged literal string, and split it into comma-concatenated pieces if it exceeds 256 characters.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-4406 — "There is an unmatched quote in the above line." A related quoted-string error, about a missing quote rather than exceeding the length limit.

A literal string exceeds the 256-character limit — split it into comma-concatenated pieces.