[ScottWalker at RAMSystemsCorp.com: RE: Wish List Item - "Public" filename and fpSnow]

[Scott Walker]

Scott said:

I think the most important thing to remember is that THIS IS NOT AN
ERROR!

If fp has a file locked because a user is adding records to it, and
someone else tries to post, and fp reports to the user trying to post
that the file is locked.  That is NOT AN ERROR.  The error would be if
fp let them post.

When one user is in update mode on a record and another process tries to
update that record, and fp reports to the second user that it is waiting
for a record to be unlocked, THAT IS NOT AN ERROR.  The error would be
to let the second process update the locked record.

These are normal, everyday operational messages that users in a
multiuser fp environment may get (not often, course) and I don't see any
reason for support to be needed or the developer to have to get involved
or any need to log these messages.  I just want to be able to make these
operational messages more meaningful to the average user so they better
understand what is happening and that they don't do something stupid
because they THINK that the message they are getting is an ERROR because
they very rarely see them (especially the waiting on record to be
unlocked variety...if you've got 5000 customers in your customer file
and your job is entering cash receipts, when you post what's the chance
that one of the customer records is going to be locked?).  The damn
locked file message even say's it's an ERROR...that's just wrong!  These
messages have been uninformative to the average end user for 20 years
now.  It's time to make them a better tool.

Jay said:

Would you prefer "exception"?

That may well be a better definition of what they are: to the user,
trying to get work done, they interrupt his flow.

This is why the Fourgen menus -- which we still use -- check for this,
and provide a better exception message.

Cheers,
-- jra

Scott says:

I like "exception" quite a bit.  It's something out of the ordinary, but
it is not a "Error".  It an exception to what the user normally expects
to see.

Good.

Regards,

Scott