| Revision History | ||
|---|---|---|
| Revision V7.1-004 | 27 June 2024 |
|
| Revision V7.1-002 | 19 September 2023 |
|
| Revision V7.1-001 | 26 June 2023 |
|
| Revision V7.0-002 | 23 March 2022 |
|
| Revision V6.3-007 | 04 February 2019 |
|
| Revision V6.3-005 | 29 June 2018 |
|
| Revision V6.3-003 | 12 December 2017 |
|
| Revision V6.3-001 | 20 March 2017 |
|
| Revision V6.0-003 | 24 February 2014 | In “Run-time Errors Outside of Direct Mode”, added a note about the gtm_etrap environment variable. |
| Revision V6.0-001 | 21 March 2013 | In “Choosing $ETRAP or $ZTRAP”, added a note about handling non-fatal errors. |
Table of Contents
This chapter describes GT.M features and techniques for handling errors. Errors in programs may be classified as "predictable" meaning foreseen, or "unpredictable" meaning unforeseen.
M programs may attempt to recover from predictable errors. Device errors that can be remedied by an operator are the most common class of errors for which recovery provides a large benefit. Predictable errors from which the program does not attempt to recover are generally treated the same as unpredictable errors.
A typical application handles unpredictable errors by logging as much information about the error as the designer considers useful, then terminating or restarting the application from a known point.
Because GT.M invokes error handling when things are not normal, careful design and implementation of error handling are required to minimize the impact of errors and the cost of subsequent prevention.
The GT.M compiler detects and reports syntax errors at:
Compile time while producing the object module from a source file.
Run time while compiling code for M indirection and XECUTEs.
Run time when the user is working in Direct Mode.
The GT.M run-time system:
Recognizes and reports execution errors when they occur.
Reports errors flagged by the compiler when they fall in the execution path.