MESG, a simple System Message viewer, by Joe Horn

--> S/SX/G/GX

chana1@elaine.ee.und.ac.za [AMISH CHANA : EC-THIRD] writes:

> Does anyone know how to display the built-in messages on the GX.
> Using the "DOERR" command displays the message but places "ERROR" on
> the top line. I want to display a message, in a program, but without
> "ERROR" on the top line.

to which v076l7zh@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu [Howard S Schumacher] replies:

> There is no way to do it.

Sure there is!  In User RPL:

<< IFERR DOERR THEN ERRM END >>

BYTES: #9C6h 22.5

INPUT: desired error number (either a real or a binary integer).
OUTPUT: error message as a string.

Drawbacks: (1) Doesn't error out properly if given a bad input type or
no argument.  (2) Kinda slow.

In System RPL:

:: CK1NOLASTWD CK&DISPATCH1
   ONE
     :: COERCE JstGETTHEMSG ;
   ELEVEN
     :: HXS># JstGETTHEMSG ;
;

BYTES: #2B61h 35.0

INPUT: desired error number (either a real or a binary integer).
OUTPUT: error message as a string.

Benefits: (1) Handles bad/no input correctly.  (2) Ten times faster.

Note: On the G/GX, there are far more messages available than listed
in the manuals.  The existing message range (in hex) is:

    1st - Lst | Description
    ----------+----------------------------------------
    0001-0010 | Panic
    0101-013D | Don't Panic
    0201-0208 | Stack & EquationWriter
    0301-0305 | Range errors
    0501-0506 | Array ops
    0601-062E | STAT, PLOT, SOLVE, Alarms, I/O ops
    0A01-0A09 | SOLVE, PLOT
    0B01-0B02 | UNITS
    0C01-0C17 | I/O messages
    0D01-0D04 | TIME
    B901-B99B | System Input Forms, MODES, MEMORY
    BA01-BA43 | I/O input form
    BB01-BB3F | STAT input form
    BC01-BC3B | TIME input forms (incl. days & months)
    BD01-BD27 | SYMBOLIC input forms
    BE01-BE77 | PLOT input forms
    BF01-BF56 | SOLVE input forms
    C001 ---- | PROOT (Unable to find root)
    E101-E129 | CONLIB constants
    E301-E304 | EQNLIB
    E401-E408 | MSOLVR
    E601-E60D | TVM
    E701-E706 | MINEHUNT

Note that the first two digits of the hex message number are a library
ID number, and the last two digits are the number of the entry within
that library's message table.  Thus #E706 is message #6 in library #E7
("YOU BLEW UP!!" in the Minehunt game).

This concept also applies to libraries in ports, e.g. the Periodic
Table Library has an ID of 703 (hex #2BF) so #2BF01 yields its first
message.

WHOA!  Be careful!  I just tried to recall message #31103h (in the
Math Pac from Sparcom), and *wham*, it nuked all my memory!  Even the
innocent-looking User RPL command #31103h DOERR will cause a psychotic
display of random pixels as your memory is being cleared, if you have
the Sparcom Math Pac installed.  No doubt they "cheated" and stored
something other than normal text there.  Clever... but unwise.

-Joseph K. Horn-