Informix Error -4518: The 4GL program cannot allocate any more space for temporary string storage.

Reasons / Common Causes

-4518 covers two variants, per the official guidance. On NewEra, this code stays active with its own meaning: either the program attempted to return more than 32,768 bytes of CHAR/VARCHAR/CHAR(*) values from a function, or the number of bytes of implicitly created temporary CHAR(*) variables exceeded 32,768. On products other than NewEra, this code is a legacy wording that has been replaced by error -1334.

1. On NewEra: a function returned more than 32,768 bytes of string data, per the official guidance — the first named cause.
2. On NewEra: implicitly created temporary CHAR(*) variables exceeded 32,768 bytes in total, per the official guidance — the second named cause.
3. On other products: this exact wording is superseded, per the official guidance — -1334 now covers the same underlying condition there.

Solutions / Resolution

1. On NewEra, reduce the size of the string data being returned or held in temporary CHAR(*) variables, per the official guidance, so it stays under 32,768 bytes.
2. On other products, treat this as -1334 and apply that code's resolution steps.

Examples

N/A

No specific triggering statement beyond the 32,768-byte total is documented for the NewEra variant — see -1334 for the equivalent condition on other products.

Diagnostic Checks

1. On NewEra, total up the string data returned from functions and held in implicit temporary CHAR(*) variables, and reduce it below 32,768 bytes.
2. On other products, confirm whether -1334 is the code actually reported, and refer to that code's diagnostics.

Related Errors / Related Topics

• -1334 — "The 4GL program cannot allocate any more space for temporary string storage." The current, active code that has replaced -4518 for products other than NewEra.

Temporary/returned string data exceeded 32,768 bytes (NewEra), or this legacy wording has been replaced by -1334 on other products.