Fail errors are generated in situations where the system database is not or may not be available for generating a system error message using a map. Requests to produce a FAIL message are handled by the terminal manager. Usually the terminal maanger executes the FAIL program, which displays messages by direct operating system calls without using any other part of the DP4 interface. The messages are displayed in the following format:
The meaning of the additional code varies according to the function causing the fail.
If the system cannot run the FAIL program to produce a proper error message, or fail errors are generated recursively, the command line to FAIL is displayed as shown below:
FAIL xxxx yyyy zzzz [filename]
Here xxxx is the DP4 error code listed above, yyyy the error return from the operating system and zzzz the additional code. If this happens, you can run the FAIL program from a command prompt using the format given above to display a description of the error. For example, if the numbers x, y and z were 20, 2 and 3, enter FAIL 20 2 3 to display the message.
Under Windows NT family operating systems the FAIL message is also written to the Application Event Log. The method used to do this has changed in 4.620, so that the event log also records which program encountered the fail error.
The command line to FAIL is written to SYSLOG.PRN, so that you can run FAIL to redisplay error messages. You can either enter the complete command line, or you can run FAIL interactively - if you don't specify any command tails FAIL pops up a dialog to request the error number details for the error you want to display.
The FAIL program displays a text description of the error returned from the operating system, except on FlexOS, where it displays only the error number returned by the operating system. You can then establish the meaning by reference to listings in the appropriate system manuals.
From release 4.620 and on Windows platforms, the FAIL program is not used. FAIL error messages are extracted from the DP4 configuration file and generated in SYSLIBx.DLL. However, you can stil use FAIL to redisplay errors reported by a user, or which have been displayed by programs that do not use the DP4 user interface.
The following fail errors are defined. Some are not used; see the notes for each message:
If you encounter an unused/undocumented error it should be treated as non-recoverable on the grounds that if it occurs the system is grossly malfunctioning.