define screens locked up - can't edit screen 5

[Jeff Harrison]

----- Original Message ----

> From: Kenneth Brody <kenbrody at spamcop.net>
> To: daN baueR <dan at onlinemgt.com>
> Cc: filepro-list at lists.celestial.com
> Sent: Tue, May 31, 2011 9:13:49 AM
> Subject: Re: define screens locked up - can't edit screen 5
> 
> On 5/30/2011 11:27 PM, daN baueR wrote:
> > *** A filePro Error Has Occurred  ***
> > Admin Asst│                   filePro Plus Main Menu                   │
> > Cannot lock  file─────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
> > On File:  /filepro/appl/filepro/jlBldg/screen.5this menuograms         │
> > Not available.
> > Somebody else is using it;  try again  later.
> [...]
> > I was attempting to edit screen 5 but my terminal  session crashed. I
> > logged in again and and went into the filePro  Directory command option
> > to delete lockfile.
> 
> Okay, repeat after  me, once again...
> 
> Lockfiles have nothing to do with record and/or file  locking.  Nothing. 
> Nada.  Zip.  Zilch.  Zero.   Gornischt.
> 
[snip]

> This has nothing to  do with the lockfile or permissions, either.  The error 
> tells you  exactly what's going on -- you're still updating the screen in 
> dscreen.  Don't believe me?  Get a copy of showlock and run it  against 
> "/filepro/appl/filepro/jlBldg/screen.5".
> 
> -- 
> Kenneth  Brody

To be fair though, (if Dan has quoted the error correctly) the error says 
"Cannot lock  file..." - it does not say "cannot lock record in the file.." - so 
it is not a great leap for a user to make the jump from "lock file" to 
lockfile.  The error assumes that the user has quite a bit of knowledge of what 
is going on behind the scenes.  It is not the good error message in my opinion.

Jeff Harrison
jeffaharrison at yahoo.com