Very Computer

I'm trying to compile a program under Informix 7.3 that compiles okay under
Informix 7.14, and I am apparently having a problem with a particular column
name.  The relevant parts of the statement are as follows:

$select ref, jrnl_no, pst_date, pst_tn
into $vch_rec.ref, $vch_rec.jrnl_no, $vch_rec.pst_date, $vch_rec.pst_tm
from vch_rec
where vch_rec.ref = $vch_ref and vch_rec.jrnl_no = $vch_no;

This statement gives the error:

Error -33051: Syntax error on identifier or symbol ','.

Changing the column name from "ref" to "blah" causes the ESQL/C error to go
away.  Prefacing it with the table name (eg, vch_rec.ref) causes the error
to go away.  It would seem, then, that the ESQL/C preprocessor is having some
problem with the column name "ref".  I don't see anything in $INFORMIXDIR/incl
that might be causing ref to be redefined.

I've looked at the Informix 7.3 Guide to SQL: Syntax, and while there are a
couple of words beginning with "ref" on the reserved words list, "ref" itself
isn't there.  I've looked at the ESQL/C manual and haven't seen anything that
appears applicable.

I can live with recoding the application if I have to, but I'd at least like
to hang the blame on a bug report or some rational explanation rather than
just a flat "that doesn't work; change it to this."
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Quote:> I'm trying to compile a program under Informix 7.3 that compiles okay under
> Informix 7.14, and I am apparently having a problem with a particular column
> name.  The relevant parts of the statement are as follows:

> $select ref, jrnl_no, pst_date, pst_tn
> into $vch_rec.ref, $vch_rec.jrnl_no, $vch_rec.pst_date, $vch_rec.pst_tm
> from vch_rec
> where vch_rec.ref = $vch_ref and vch_rec.jrnl_no = $vch_no;

> This statement gives the error:

> Error -33051: Syntax error on identifier or symbol ','.

> Changing the column name from "ref" to "blah" causes the ESQL/C error to go
> away.  Prefacing it with the table name (eg, vch_rec.ref) causes the error
> to go away.  It would seem, then, that the ESQL/C preprocessor is having some
> problem with the column name "ref".  I don't see anything in $INFORMIXDIR/incl
> that might be causing ref to be redefined.

I think that REF is keyword in Illustra databases, and it has presumably
been added to the 7.30 syntax somehow, even though I cannot locate any
references to REF types in the 9.1 docs (ESQL/C, Guide to SQL: Reference,
Guide to SQL: Syntax).  I'd use the table.ref (or alias.ref) notation to

alias?

Yours,

Guardian of DBD::Informix -- see http://www.perl.com/CPAN

Thanks for giving me something (other than a capricious compiler) to hang the
problem on.  It does sound like a job for the documentation people.

Sigh.  (Pulling out the handy "make co"...)
-----
William Harris