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Format of delivered messages

When messages are delivered to the user, the Error System prefixes the given text with exclamation marks to call attention to the message and to distinguish between error messages and normal informational messages output using MSG. When a sequence of deferred messages is flushed, the first will be prefixed by `!! ' and the remainder by `! '.

By default, messages are split so that output lines do not exceed 79 characters - the split is made on word boundaries if possible. The maximum output line size can be altered using tuning parameters. If a message has to be split for delivery by the Error System, text on continuation lines is indented by three spaces, e.g.

!! The first line of an error message ...
!     and its continuation onto another line.
!  A second contextual error message.



next up previous 211
Next: Routines which perform ``cleaning-up'' operations
Up: ERR - Error Reporting System
Previous: Error table limits

MERS (MSG and ERR) Message and Error Reporting Systems
Starlink User Note 104
P C T Rees
A J Chipperfield
22 October 2001
E-mail:ussc@star.rl.ac.uk

Copyright © 2001 Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils