"Thorsten Froehlich" <tho### [at] trfde> wrote in message
news:3bd2b433@news.povray.org...
> In article <3bd29f5e@news.povray.org> , "Rune" <run### [at] mobilixnetdk>
> wrote:
>
> > If the user isn't familiar with the error, he can search in the manual for
> > "user error directive" and find out about it there. That's what the
> > documentation is for. It could also be listed in the VFAQ.
> >
> > Granted, right now such a search doesn't give clear results, but that could
> > easily be fixed in the manual.
>
> Please estimate the probability that a user who doesn't know about the
> #error directive (which is in the documentation) will look up the reason for
> an error in the documentation...
>
>     Thorsten
>

A person who won't look up errors in the manual also won't read the manual for
all the little things that get asked about in the povray newsgroups all the time
that annoy those of us who do read the manual.  The stupid questions get asked,
regardless of why.  It doesn't matter if it looks like a POV-Ray error,
something completely different, or not even generate an error at all, just look
"unexpected".  I've only been posting on the povray newserver for a few weeks
and already I've quoted the manual three or four times because someone didn't
bother to look at it or do a search.

So... the estimate is that lots of users will ask lots of stupid questions...
regardless of how the program is set up or how the documentation is written.
And regardless of what generates the error.

Yes, the #error command can and/or should be distinguished from a POV-Ray error.
Perhaps something like the following, although from other discussions here, I
understand it may be asking too much:

(if in a macro)
Macro MyMacro generated a user error on line 27 of MyMacros.inc:
    Invalid parameters.  A must be between 0 and 10.

MyMacro invoked from MyPicture.pov line 58:
    object {
    MyMacro(10,20,30)<--

User #error directive hit.


(if not in a macro)
MyPicture.pov generated a user error on line 93:
    No camera was selected.  Please set MyCamera.

#error CamMessage<---

User #error directive hit.


Or something like that.  Again, I understand it may not be possible to generate
that trace, but that, I think, would be ideal.  Of course, the user generated
error message could be somehow highlited or otherwise marked so it is different
from standard POV-Ray messages.

Michael

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