pentaho/pentaho-kettle · error · RhinoRuntimeError

The function call str2num requires 1, 2, or 3 arguments.

Error message

The function call str2num requires 1, 2, or 3 arguments.

What it means

The str2num JavaScript function only accepts 1, 2, or 3 arguments (value, optional format, optional locale). Calling it with zero or 4+ arguments falls into the switch's default case and throws this error via Context.reportRuntimeError. It is an argument-count validation error, not a data-conversion failure.

Solutions

1. Call str2num with 1 argument for default parsing, 2 for pattern, 3 for pattern+locale
2. Remove any 4th+ argument from the call
3. Apply rounding or currency handling after str2num returns the Double
4. Check the JavaScript step's script for array-spread or auto-fill mistakes

Example fix

// before
var n = str2num('123.45', '#,##0.00', 'en', 2); // 4 args -> error
// after
var n = str2num('123.45', '#,##0.00', 'en');

function str2numChecked() {
  var a = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments);
  if (a.length < 1 || a.length > 3) {
    throw new Error('str2num requires 1-3 arguments, got ' + a.length);
  }
  return str2num.apply(null, a);
}

function canCallStr2num(args) { return args.length >= 1 && args.length <= 3; }

try {
  var n = str2num(value, fmt);
} catch (e) {
  if (e.message.indexOf('requires 1, 2, or 3 arguments') >= 0) {
    // arity bug in the script — fix the call site, don't retry
    throw new Error('Script bug: bad str2num call arity');
  }
  throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: str2num() with no arguments; str2num('123', '#,##0', 'en', extraArg); a scripting mistake spreading an array into the call; editing a shared script so extra positional params were added.

Common situations: Copy-pasted snippets in Modified Java Script Value steps where someone added a 4th parameter believing it was a rounding mode or currency flag; refactoring that lost or duplicated an argument.

Understand the failure class

Background: "missing required argument" and "the following required arguments were not provided": what required-argument errors mean and how to fix them — this error's family across 20 libraries.

Related errors

• The function call decode requires more than 1 argument.
• The function call replace is not valid (wrong number of…
• Function call replace is not valid :
• Please provide a valid date to the function call date2str.
• Row.EndOfFileReached

AI-assisted analysis of pentaho/pentaho-kettle@f3058517a1 (2026-09-13). Data as JSON: /api/errors/eb0cb646309d832c. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at engine/src/main/java/org/pentaho/di/trans/steps/scriptvalues_mod/ScriptValuesAddedFunctions.java:1464

            return new Double( Double.NaN );
          } else if ( isUndefined( ArgList, new int[] { 0, 1, 2 } ) ) {
            return Context.getUndefinedValue();
          }
          String sArg1 = Context.toString( ArgList[0] );
          String sArg2 = Context.toString( ArgList[1] );
          String sArg3 = Context.toString( ArgList[2] );
          if ( sArg3.length() == 2 ) {
            DecimalFormatSymbols dfs = new DecimalFormatSymbols( EnvUtil.createLocale( sArg3.toLowerCase() ) );
            DecimalFormat formatter = new DecimalFormat( sArg2, dfs );
            dRC = ( formatter.parse( sArg1 ) ).doubleValue();
            return new Double( dRC );
          }
        } catch ( Exception e ) {
          throw Context.reportRuntimeError( e.getMessage() );
        }
        break;
      default:
        throw Context.reportRuntimeError( "The function call str2num requires 1, 2, or 3 arguments." );
    }
    return new Double( dRC );
  }

  public static Object isNum( Context actualContext, Scriptable actualObject, Object[] ArgList,
    Function FunctionContext ) {

    if ( ArgList.length == 1 ) {
      try {
        if ( isNull( ArgList[0] ) ) {
          return null;
        } else if ( isUndefined( ArgList[0] ) ) {
          return Context.getUndefinedValue();
        }
        double sArg1 = Context.toNumber( ArgList[0] );
        if ( Double.isNaN( sArg1 ) ) {
          return Boolean.FALSE;
        } else {

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