Check Width (-checkwidth)

Use Check Width (-checkwidth) to specify whether the AVM compares CHARACTER, DECIMAL, and RAW field data against the metaschema _width field value before updating a database record. The _width field value specifies the maximum width of the data allowed in a field.

Operating system and syntax UNIX / Windows -checkwidth n
Use with Maximum value Minimum value Single-user default Multi-user default
Client Session — — — —
n

The check-width mode. Valid check-width modes are:

  • 0 — Ignore the _width field value and store the data. This is the default mode.
  • 1 — Store the data, and generate a warning message if the data exceeds the size specified in the _width field.
  • 2 — Do not store data that exceeds the size specified in the _width field, and generate an error. Specify this mode if you want ABL to behave like SQL.

ABL allows for variable length data; SQL does not. This startup parameter lets you impose the SQL requirement that data cannot exceed the size specified in the _width field.

Note: The _width field value for array fields is the size of all array elements after the AVM converts the array element values to CHARACTER. This means that even with the -checkwidth startup parameter enabled, array fields can still surpass the _width field value.