Error message

An error message Error message in English, is a reaction of a computer program to a detected bug or a known error situation.

Types of error messages

The user is informed, for example, as a plain text error message or an error code (error code) on the event information. This output can be on the standard error output ( stderr ) of the running environment, or a special address will be transmitted (such as a log file).

Expected error situations, such as user input can be controlled by plausibility check and be issued with deviation from the allowed values ​​as an error message. You can also Internally used as a condition for further steps (division by zero, the presence of a land value of a variable, a command or an address, etc. ) - this process is called error handling, error handling.

Unexpected error, such as protection fault crash the application software can result. In this case, the error message can be displayed only by the operating system. Message from the kernel (stop errors) lead to the blue screen or kernel panic.

Some error messages are embedded in complex diagnostic software. In case of failure actionable information collected may also be sent directly to the manufacturer via the Internet (error collector).

Interpretation of error messages

If an error message is not transmitted by such a diagnosis software to the factory, it makes sense that the user of the exact wording of the error message again gives when he seeks help from the manufacturer or in forums or newsgroups. Therefore, it is reasonable to assume the message copy and paste, as this typo may be excluded.

Often the information in the error message to the user are incomprehensible, but the user can enter the error message or error code into a search engine and thereby obtain instructions for workarounds or other additional information.