Joined: Jan 23, 2008 Posts: 98 Location: United States
Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:17 am Post subject: Error Messages
As I read through posts both here and on OO forums, I find people puzzling over the meaning of error messages. Some of them must be really obscure responses to our own stupidity. I'm sure many of mine are. But some must be bog standard, guaranteed errors:
forgot the " " on a table or column name;
forgot the space between this and that;
forgot to use caps
and so on.
The trouble is, the error message never even suggests these simple sorts of solutions. It's usually in some form of arcane jargon that is untranslatable to us mortals. And the Help files don't list them, nor do they include the probable error messages when giving instructions.
Could someone who knows a bit more about it start a Wiki page translating error messages for us Newbies? Using this part of the forum, we could suggest some for inclusion as they happen to us.
Also, could those who create tutorials, perhaps, include 'If you get error ...... you probably forgot to .......'.
I know it's more work for overworked people. I'm happy to post the stuff I've learned - but it's not much.
Joined: Jan 23, 2008 Posts: 98 Location: United States
Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2008 3:36 am Post subject:
Never mind. I did a little drilling and found the wiki reference card. Please check the page I've created:
is it the sort of thing you're after?
is the content correct?
etc.
I guess I really hadn't expected such detailed descriptions and had thought we'd just list all the errors on one page. That obviously won't work for more than a few errors
Given that realization, what you've done is fine; I made a few small tweaks to the structure and changed the main Errors page to fit the new view of things.
General pattern for error pages:
1) Page title is the error title
2) Description section list which module(s) the error occurs in and a sample error text
3) Cause section explains what causes the error
4) Solution section prescribes steps to take to remove the error condition
5) Categories are "NeoOffice" and "Error Messages"
The NeoOffice Error Messages page will then just list the errors (in alphabetical order) and link to the individual pages.
Does that seem OK to everyone?
Smokey _________________ "[...] whether the duck drinks hot chocolate or coffee is irrelevant." -- ovvldc and sardisson in the NeoWiki
Joined: Jan 23, 2008 Posts: 98 Location: United States
Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 3:08 pm Post subject:
Quote:
I guess I really hadn't expected such detailed descriptions and had thought we'd just list all the errors on one page. That obviously won't work for more than a few errors
Um, perhaps years of teaching experience, and teaching myself 'how', and screaming at my computer because it isn't doing what I expected it to mean that I created a more complex entry than you expected. I hope the model will lead to a list that will be more helpful than some I have been experiencing in my searches through both Neo and OO forums.
I, personally, don't think it is good enough to give a bald, textual reproduction of a command or, in this case, error message without some clue-
in the context of a command or function - as to how to use it , where to use it, the correct command context or;
for an error message - where it's likely to occur, what causes it and how to correct the error.
If we understood all of that, we wouldn't have asked for help or made the error in the first place, would we?
For me, the object of this Error Messages page is to help those of us who generate error messages to understand the underlying cause of the error and, thereby, correct it.
In the instance of the integrity violation error which I received, I never deduced that it meant there was a data mis-match and I have an MSC in Computer Science with Applications with years of experience in IT management!!!! What hope mere mortals, huh?
I would love to see the same sort of clear explanations for SQL commands and functions. A list of functions with no explanation of how they fit into SQL commands, where they are and are not applicable, and what can go wrong, is only just better than useless. It is certainly frustrating as you try and try and try again to fit a function into a command structure and continually fail.
As more and more neophytes (and I mean newcomers to the whole concept of this complex type of software) are attracted to software such as NeoOffice and OO, I feel it is important for those with experience of the software (and I am certainly not one of them) to clearly pass on their knowledge.
Again, I guess my teaching experience makes me aware of how easy it is to make assumptions about the knowledge level of others. I, personally, would prefer to be insulted by the simplicity of a reply than to be left wondering what the '??****' that was supposed to mean. I can always make clear in a further post that I had tried this, that and other and was still stymied. To be left bewildered and confused is worse. Trust me on this. Been there. Got the scars to prove it. (As I'm sure you do.)
Let's hope there are many contributions to this page. I, for one, will make a new page for every error I get clarified. And there will be many!
And, if you create a stub for SQL clarification - I'll contribute to that as well - should I ever understand any of the SQL I use!!
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