Error 165 or 516 when running progress using in batch mode (-b)

Error "** Attempt to write with no current output destination. (165)" or "** Attempt to write with no current output destination. (516)" when running progress using in batch mode (-b, mbpro)

Apr 7, 2015
Knowledge

Title

URL Name

P21236

Article Number

000135631

Environment

Product: OpenEdge Version: All Supported versions OS: All Supported Platforms

Question/Problem Description

Error 165 or 516 when running progress using in batch mode (-b)

Running OpenEdge batch session:
$ prowin32 -b
$ _progres -b
$ mbpro

Batch client terminates with one of the following errors:

** Attempt to write with no current output destination. (516)
** Attempt to write with no current output destination. (165)

Steps to Reproduce

Clarifying Information

Error Message

** Attempt to write with no current output destination. (516) ** Attempt to write with no current output destination. (165)

Defect Number

Enhancement Number

Cause

This is expected behavior.

The stdout stream was not redirected for the batch process, and the application code being run is putting data on the stream using DISPLAY, PUT or similar statements. Unlike regular clients which by default direct the stdout stream to the terminal, the batch client does not have a default destination for this stream at all.

Resolution

There are two ways to handle this:

1. Ensure the stdout gets redirected on the OS level.

Easiest way to achieve that is to redirect the output to a file on the the command line by adding a greater than sign followed by a filename.

Example:

$ _progres -b -p myProc.p > output.log

Other alternatives rely on the OS capabilities of setting up pipes between processes.

2. Ensure the stdout gets redirected from within the 4GL code.

To do this, use either OUTPUT TO or OUTPUT THROUGH statements without specifying a named stream.
This must be done before executing the statements that would cause output to be written to the stream.

Example:

OUTPUT TO report.txt.

FOR EACH customer:
   DISPLAY cust-num name address address2 city state country SKIP(2)
   WITH 1 COLUMN SIDE-LABELS.
END.

OUTPUT CLOSE.

Workaround

Notes

Keyword Phrase

Last Modified Date

5/20/2026 11:32 PM

Error 165 or 516 when running progress using in batch mode (-b)

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