HP 3000 Manuals

Message Catalogs:Programmer's Guide

Format of a Message Catalog 

Although the two system error message catalogs contain different sets of
messages, their format is the same.  The messages are numbered and
grouped into numbered sets.  The sets are logical divisions of messages.
Before you can access the messages, you must know the messages that are
available and their identifying message and set message numbers.

To examine the CM error messages you can use, go into your editor and
text in CATALOG.PUB.SYS; to examine the NM error messages, expand the
formatted file SYSCAT.PUB.SYS, as shown in Chapter 4, and text the
expanded catalog into your editor.  Both of these files are very large,
but you can view them from within your editor.  As you look at the
message catalog, you will see messages, message numbers, set directives,
set numbers, comments, and special characters, such as %, &, !  and ~.

Message File Format Example 

The messages you see will look similar to the following example from
CATALOG.PUB.SYS:

        $SET 1     SYSTEM MESSAGES
        1 LDEV#!IN USE BY FILE SYSTEM
        2 LDEV#!IN USE BY DIAGNOSTICS
        3 LDEV#!IN USE, DOWN PENDING
        5 IS "!" ON LDEV#! (Y/N)?
           .
           .
           .
        $MESSAGE 35 IS TWO LINES LONG, A PARAMETER STARTS THE
        $FIRST LINE, AND THE SECOND LINE IS "HP32002"
        35!%
        HP32002B.00.!
           .
           .
           .
        276 LDEV # FOR "!" ON ! (NUM)!
        $
        $SET 2 CIERROR MESSAGES
        82 STREAM FACILITY NOT ENABLED: SEE OPERATOR.(CIERR 82)
        200 MORE THAN 30 PARAMETERS TO BUILD COMMAND.(CIERR 200)
           .
           .
           .

Directives and Special Characters 

Directives and special characters are not output to users, but they are
important factors in the unformatted message catalog.

A directive begins in column one and denotes the beginning of a set, a
comment, or a message.  They are:

 *  $SET - indicates the beginning of a logical set of messages

 *  $ - proceeds a comment

 *  message number - indicates the beginning of a message

Special characters are used to control the format and content of messages
when the messages are output.

 *  % - lets a message continue on the next line in the catalog and when
    printed out.  When a message is output to a buffer, a space is
    inserted where the % was.

 *  & - lets a message continue on the next line in the catalog, but,
    when accessed, the message is printed on one line.

 *  !  - allows a parameter to be inserted at run time.  Up to five
    parameter substitutions are allowed in a message, and substitution is
    done from left to right.

 *  ~ - when preceding a special character, allows the special character
    to be printed.

MPE/iX 5.0 Documentation