Development Specs

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Message standardization

How should Errors/Warnings/Messages be formatted

  • Only user derived variables should be bracketed, not GRASS derived variables. for example:
Yes: Creating raster map <%s>.  Pass 1 of 7 ...
No:  Creating <raster> map <%s>.  Pass [1] of [7] ...
  • strings < >
    • e.g. Raster map <%s> not found
  • numbers [ ]
    • e.g. Line [%d] deleted
? The [bracketed] parenthetical disrupts the flow of the phrase and doesn't help enhance clarity of meaning. IMHO, this reads better without [] brackets: "Line %d deleted." [] Brackets should be used when value is outside of the phrase: "Unknown line [%d]". --HB

Discussion:

Statistics [2007-04-11]:

symbol number of code lines
<%s> 637
[%s] 690
'%s' 354
<%d> 12
[%d] 207
'%d' 3

Macros to be defined for C library

  • MSG_RASTER_NOT_FOUND_IN_MAPSET - "Raster map <%s> not found in <%s>"
  • MSG_CANNOT_OPEN_RASTER - "Failed opening raster map <%s>"
  • MSG_CANNOT_OPEN_FILE - Cannot open file <%s>

Note: Problem with xgettext package. How to use macros to work with xgettext?

Standard messages sandbox

  • First letter should be capitalized
  • Use the present tense
(cannot instead of could not; better: unable to; even better: avoid the issue altogether by rewording like "File not found.")
  • Avoid contractions (cannot instead of can't)
  • Good sentence construction
("Cannot find input map <%s>" instead of "It could not be find input map <%s>"; possibly better: "Input map <%s> not found.")
  • Be consistent with periods. Either end all phrases with a period or none. Without periods the translators save also some time
Complete sentences or all parts of a message with multiple sentences should end with periods. Short phrases should not. Punctuated events, such as errors, deserve a period. e.g. "Operation complete." Phrases which imply ongoing action look odd if missing an ellipse or any other form of punctuation. Phrase != Sentence. --HB
  • Either all module descriptions should end with periods or not. As some are multi-sentence, and thus should end in a period for consistency within the message, so probably they all should end in one. Currently by my count 237 end with '.', 139 do not. In the multi-sentence case it may be posible to put the simple description in the module->label field and additional explanitory text into the ->description field.
  • option and flag descriptions generally should not end in a period (more likely to be phrases than sentences). But they can suffer the same multi-sentence period problem as module descriptions. In this case splitting out additional text into a ->label, ->description split may help.
  • Suspension points used to indicate some process is being done should be placed next to last word, without space. e.g. "Reading map..." instead of "Reading map ..."
  • Module descriptions should use all the same verbal tense. Currently some of them can be found in infinitive and others in present.


DB messages

db_open_database()
Unable to open database <%s> by driver <%s>
db_execute_immediate()
Unable to insert new record: %s
Unable to create table <%s>
db_grant_on_table()
Unable to grant privileges on table <%s>
db_start_driver_open_database()
Unable to open database <%s> by driver <%s>

General messages

G_legal_filename()
<%s> is illegal file name
G_set_window()
Invalid graphics coordinates
Unable to set window
D_do_conversions()
Error calculating graphics-region conversions
G_tempfile()
Unable to open temporary file <%s>
G_get_projinfo()
Unable to get projection info of raster map
G_get_projunits()
Unable to get projection units of raster map

Raster messages

G_find_cell2()
Raster map <%s> not found
Raster map <%s> not found in the current mapset
Raster map <%s> not found in mapset <%s>
G_get_cellhd()
Unable to read header of raster map <%s>
G_open_cell_old()
Unable to open raster map <%s>
G_open_cell_new()
Unable to create raster map <%s>
G_get_raster_row()
Unable to read raster map <%s> row %d
G_put_raster_row()
Failed writing raster map <%s> row %d
G_write_cats()
Unable to write category file for raster map <%s>

Vector messages

G_find_vector2()
Vector map <%s> not found
Vector map <%s> not found in the current mapset
Vector map <%s> not found in mapset <%s>
Vect_open_old()
Unable to open vector map <%s>
Unable to open vector map <%s> at topology level %d
Vect_get_field()
"Database connection not defined for layer %d"

Messages Discussion

  • "Map <roads> in <user1>" or "Map <roads@user1>"


Proposed standard responses in bold.

  • G_get_raster_row
"Unable to read raster map <%s> row %d"
Cannot get raster raster of input map
Cannot raster raster of input map
Cannot read raster row [%d]
can't read row in input elevation map
Could not read from <%s>
Could not read from <%s>, row=%d
Error getting input null cells
error reading hue data
Error reading 'hue' map
Error reading input
error reading intensity data
Error reading 'intensity' map
Error reading map %s
Error reading row of data
error reading saturation data
Error reading 'saturation' map
G_get_raster_row failed
reading map
Reading map
Reading row %d
read_row: error reading data
%s: Unable to read raster map [%s]
Unable to get row %d from raster map
Unable to get row %d from <%s>
Unable to read map raster row %d
Unable to read raster row.
Unable to read raster row %d
Unable to read row %i\n
  • G_put_raster_row
"Failed writing raster map <%s> row %d"
Cannot write row to raster map
Cannot write to <%s>
Error while writing new cell map.
Error writing cell map during transform.
error writing data
Error writing output map
G_put_raster_row failed (file system full?)
%s - ERROR writing %s
Unable to properly write output raster map
unable to write map row %d
  • G_open_cell_new
"Unable to create raster map <%s>"
Cannot open output raster map <%s>
can't open %s
Error in opening output file <%s>
Unable to create output <%s>
Unable to create raster map <%s>
Unable to create raster map [%s]
Unable to open cell map <%s> for output.\n
Unable to open output file.
Unable to open the cell map MASK.
  • G_open_cell_old
"Unable to open raster map <%s>"
Cannot find map %s
Cannot find mapset for %s
Cannot open File %s
Cannot open input raster map <%s>
Cannot open map %s
Cannot open raster map
Cannot open raster map <%s>
Cannot open raster map [%s]
Cannot open raster map [%s]!
Cannot open %s
Cannot open seed map <%s@%s>!
Cannot open terrain raster map <%s@%s>!
Can't open input map
can't open raster map [%s]
can't open raster map <%s> in mapset %s
can't open %s
Could not open raster <%s>
Could not open raster '%s'
Error in opening input file <%s>
Not able to open cellfile for [%s]
Problem opening input file [%s]
Raster file <%s> not found
Raster map [%s] not found  
<%s> cellfile not found
%s: Couldn't open raster <%s@%s>
%s: o_open_file: could not open raster map %s in %s
Unable to open band files.
Unable to open cellfile for [%s]
Unable to open map <%s>
Unable to open MASK
Unable to open raster map [%s]
Unable to open raster <%s>
unable to open [%s] in [%s]
Unable to proceed
  • G_find_cell
"Raster map <%s> not found"
albedo raster map <%s> not found
aspin raster map <%s> not found
Cannot find map %s
Cannot find mapset for %s
Cannot find raster map
Cannot find %s
cell file [%s] not found
coefbh raster map <%s> not found
elevin raster map <%s> not found
Input map [%s] in location [%s] in mapset [%s] not found.
latin raster map <%s> not found
linkein raster map <%s> not found
No clump map specified and MASK not set.
Raster file [%s] not found. Exiting.
Raster map [%s] already exists.\nPlease try another.
Raster map <%s> not found
Raster map [%s] not found
Raster <%s> already exist.
Raster <%s> not found
Raster '%s' not found
Requested raster map <%s> not found
[%s] cannot be found!
%s - exits in Mapset <%s>, select another name
slopein raster map <%s> not found
%s: more than %d files not allowed
%s - not found
%s: o_open_file: raster map %s not found
%s: <%s> raster map not found
%s: %s - raster map not found
%s: %s - Unable to find the imaginary-image.
%s: %s - Unable to find the real-image map.
stringliteral
Training map [%s] not found.
Unable to find base map <%s>
Unable to find cell map <%s>
Unable to find cover map <%s>
Unable to find file [%s].
Unable to find input cell map <%s>
  • G_find_cell2
"Raster map <%s> not found"
Raster map <%s> not found in current mapset
Raster map <%s> not found
Raster file [%s] not found. Exiting.
  • G_find_vector
"Vector map <%s> not found"
Cannot find vector map
Could not find input map <%s>
Could not find input map <%s>.
Could not find input map '%s'.
Could not find input map <%s> in current mapset.
Could not find input map <%s>\n
Could not find input %s
Could not find input %s\n
Could not find input vector map <%s>
Could not find input vector map %s
Could not find network input map '%s'.
Could not find vector map <%s> in current mapset
  • G_tempfile
"Unable to open temporary file <%s>"
Unable to write the temporary file      (/display/d.text.freetype/main.c:422)
Unable to open temp file.               (/imagery/i.find/main.c:83)
Unable to open tempfile                 (/raster/r.coin/make_coin.c:83)
Unable to open temporary file <%s>      (/vector/v.in.ascii/in.c:237 /display/d.text/main.c:191 /display/d.text.new/main.c:398 /display/d.title/main.c:117
                                        /raster/r.statistics/o_average.c:42 /raster/r.statistics/o_distrib.c:41 /raster/r.statistics/o_sum.c:43)
                                        (/raster/r.in.ascii/main.c:130) (/raster/r.in.ascii/main.c:160)

Systematic Approach

  • Collect all possible error states from functions
  • assign error codes for macros?
  • G_option() parameters (like output->description = ("Path to resulting ASCII file");)

Note: Would be possible to conctretize your ideas? (MartinL)

Parameters and flags

Fix the parameters and flags. Make it a concept. See proposal in GRASS 5 documents/parameter_proposal.txt

Verbosity levels

Current abstract concept

type GRASS_VERBOSE libgis command line result libgis fn
verbose 3 MAX_LEVEL --verbose print progress and all messages messages G_verbose_message()
standard 2 STD_LEVEL print progress and selected messages G_message()
brief 1 print only progress information (% done) G_percent(), G_clicker(), G_important_message()
quiet 0 MIN_LEVEL --quiet print nothing (only ERRORs and WARNINGs) G_warning(), G_fatal_error()
debug 0-5 print debug message at DEBUG level set with g.gisenv G_debug(#, "")
mute - 2>&1 > /dev/null only for use in rare occasions
Proposal
  • module output (should be "parsable") is not controlled by GRASS_VERBOSE [use fprintf (stdout, ...)]
  • quiet
only warnings and fatal errors are printed
  • brief
all G_percent() and G_important_message() (especially connected to progress information??)
  • standard
all G_percent() and selected G_message()
  • verbose
all G_percent() + G_message() + G_verbose_message()
Modification
  • remove verbose level → standard == all G_percent () + G_messages()
why?? --HB
  • remove "--verbose" from help pages, manually mention where it does work.
it only does something in a few modules
  • move some messages to G_debug()
  • move some messages to G_verbose_message()
  • move some messages to G_important_message()
  • change level numbers to 1, 3, 5
  • Add new G_msg(int level, "%format", ...); lib function. Existing G_message() could stay and would be the same as G_msg(LEVEL_STD,...).
Discussion
  • HB: I'm quite happy to leave the current system as it is, but use GRASS_MESSAGE_FORMAT=silent to switch off G_percent(),G_clicker() output.
Mixing a sliding verbosity scale plus a binary switch or >= rule for when G_percent() happens in the same variable is very messy IMO.

Alternative Abstract concept

standard 3 PERMSG_MODE print progress and messages
standard 2 MESSAGE_MODE print only messages
brief 1 PERCENT_MODE print only progress information
silent but not mute 0 QUIET_MODE print nothing (but ERR and WAR)
mute 2>&1 > /dev/null
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