Informix Error -4426

-4426 The PRINT statement can be used only within reports. If you wish to

print without screen positioning, use the DISPLAY statement without any field or screen destination.

The keyword PRINT is used specifically to produce lines of output to a report. The keyword DISPLAY introduces output to the screen. Possibly this statement was accidentally copied from a report body; more likely it was a hasty attempt to display casual output on the screen. In the latter case, simply changing PRINT to DISPLAY is usually enough.

Oninit® Troubleshooting Guidance

Reasons / Common Causes

-4426 fires when PRINT is used outside a report — per the official guidance, PRINT produces report output lines specifically, while DISPLAY writes to the screen; this often happens from code accidentally copied from a report body, or a hasty attempt at casual screen output.

PRINT used outside a report function, per the official guidance — the direct, only cause.

Solutions / Resolution

Change PRINT to DISPLAY (with no field/screen destination) if casual screen output was intended, per the official guidance — usually sufficient on its own.

Examples

PRINT used outside a report

FUNCTION debug()
  PRINT "Debugging: ", value
  -- -4426: PRINT is only valid inside a report
END FUNCTION

Corrected

FUNCTION debug()
  DISPLAY "Debugging: ", value
END FUNCTION

Diagnostic Checks

Check whether the flagged PRINT statement is inside a report, and change it to DISPLAY if casual screen output was intended.

Related Errors / Related Topics

-4417 — "This type of statement can be used only in a report." A closely related, broader restriction covering PRINT, SKIP, NEED, and similar report-only statements.

PRINT is used outside a report — change it to DISPLAY for casual screen output.