

Error Message Style Guide - amitlan
http://www.postgresql.org/docs/devel/static/error-style-guide.html

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advanderveer
We should think of an universal standard for error messages, some of the
points made in this document have caught of guard many times and should be
standard practice for errors across all kinds of software.

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michaelmior
What is appropriate for error messages in some software might not be
appropriate in others. Think web servers vs compilers vs word processors, etc.
What is appropriate depends on a lot of factors such as the expected users of
the software and what level of the stack the software operates in. In this
case I'm not convinced that a standard would be helpful.

~~~
advanderveer
Agreed, if we consider that errors have two kinds of users (the end user and
the developer) we might be able to find common needs for both sides. The needs
of the end user are probably harder to generalize (as they depend on the
intended action) but even here there might be requirements that are always
appropriate: e.g googlability.

For developers, needs probably revolve around being able to comprehend what
logical situation resulted in the unexpected behaviour. Meaning that errors
should give some sense of what internal state cause it to appear and where the
input that formed this state came from.

(edit: typos)

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theandrewbailey
In development, I am always in favor of clear, concise, and active language.
These are fantastic points with great justifications attached. I really like
the tricky words near the end.

