Conference vaxuum::document_ft

405.0. "Why <COUNTER>" by CSSAUS::BELL (Peter L. Bell) Wed May 20 1987 23:06

    The following error mysterified me for some time. I have no <COUNTER>
    tag any where in the document.
    
$ D /BATCH=(QUEUE=BIG$BATCH) PRINT SOFTWARE.REF LN03
%DOC-I-IDENT, VAX DOCUMENT T1.0-008
[ T a g   T r a n s l a t i o n ]...
%TAG-I-TAG_IDENT, T1.0-002
%TAG-I-DEFSLOADD, End of Loading of Tag Definitions
%TAG-I-ENDPASS_1, End of first pass over the input
%TAG-F-EOFARGLST, End of file encountered while searching for closing

       parenthesis. See argument list of tag <COUNTER> on line 937 of file
    
   F$:[BELL.GNC]PRINT.GNC;
$ exit ($status + (0 * f$verify(verify_context))) ! SYS$SCRATCH:DOC$PRINT.TMP - End
  BELL         job terminated at 21-MAY-1987 11:18:20.38

    The Input text was (With unnessary stuff removed, error line is the
    line ending "HARDCOPY.)"
    
<TABLE>
<TABLE_SETUP>(2\16)
<TABLE_ROW>(PORT <LIST>(STACKED\braces)<LE><emphasis>(number)<LE>ALL<ENDLIST>\
specifies which ports(s) the command affects. This is a privileged parameter.
You can enter a particular  port  number, or you can specify all the ports by
typing ALL.  A  nonprivileged  user enters  the  command  without this
parameter and the command affects only the port he or  she  is using.)

<TABLE_ROW_BREAK>(FIRST)

<TABLE_ROW>(TYPE\
                  specifies the port device type.  Specify one  of
                         three types, as follows:

<LIST>(UNNUMBERED)

                         <LE>  ANSI -  for  use  with  video  devices  that
                             support  ANSI  escape sequences.  The delete
                             key  erases  deleted  characters  from   the
                             screen,  and  moves the cursor one character
                             to the left.  The screen clears  before  all
                             port device displays, and the displays build
                             downward line-by-line from the  top  of  the
                             screen.   Terminals in the Digital VT100 and
                             VT200 series can be set up as type ANSI.

                         <LE>  HARDCOPY  -  for   use   with   paper-output
                             devices.   the  delete  key  echoes  deleted
                             characters  between  backslashes (\). The
                             Digital  LA120  is  an example of a hardcopy
                             terminal.

                         <LE>  SOFTCOPY - for use with video devices.   The
                             delete  key  functions  as  in ANSI devices.
                             All    server    displays    build    upward
                             line-by-line  from the bottom of the screen.
                             The Digital VT52, for example, is a softcopy
                             terminal.
<ENDLIST>
                         The default type is HARDCOPY.)
<TABLE_ROW>(USERNAME\
              specifies a  user  name  of  1  to  12  keyboard
                         characters.   Your  username appears in the SHOW
                         USERS display and after Port:  in the SHOW  PORT
                         display.   Normally,  you  type a user name when
                         you log into the port device.  However, you  can
                         specify  it  with this parameter.  The user name
                         characteristic is entered only in  the  server's
                         operational  database,  and  you  can specify it
                         only with the SET PORT command.  The default  is
                         the value for the port's NAME characteristic.
)<TABLE_ROW_BREAK>(LAST)
<TABLE_ROW>(VERIFICATION\
          specifies whether the server sends informational
                         messages when you connect, disconnect, or switch
                         sessions.    DISABLED   inhibits   informational
                         messages,   ENABLED   permits   display  of  the
                         messages.  This command does  not  affect  error
                         and warning messages.  The default is ENABLED.

)<ENDTABLE>
<subhead1>(Examples:)
<interactive>
<s>(Local> )<u>(DEF POR 2 ACC DYN INTERRUPT ENA)
<s>(Local> )<u>(SET POR 8 AUTH GROUPS 1,2,6-19,25 ENA SES LIM 3)
<s>(Local> )<u>(DEF AUTOC ENA PREF DEVELOP)
<endinteractive>


    The error was fixed by replacing the "(\)" with "<oparen>\<cparen>"    
    
    Is it possible to arrange a more meaningful message?
    
Peter.    

    Replacing (\) with <oparen>\<cparen> FIXED the problem?
    
    I would have thought that you would have to replace (\)
    with (<backslash>).  The entire <list> ... <endlist> is
    one of the arguments to your <table_row> tag.  It seems
    to me that the backslash will eventually be interpreted
    as an argument separator, and you will find part of your
    list in one column and the rest of it off in the next column.
    
    I can't think of a place where matching left and right parens
    ever need to be replaced with <oparen> ... <cparen>, provided
    the matching parens are in the same argument.
    
    bill
    

>    < Note 405.1 by VAXUUM::KOHLBRENNER >
> 
>     I can't think of a place where matching left and right parens
>     ever need to be replaced with <oparen> ... <cparen>, provided
>     the matching parens are in the same argument.

    Looks to me like the '(' and ')' are are not in the same argument --
    after all, they are separated by a backslash, the argument separator: 

    		(\)
                ^ ^  
   Arg. 1 ______| |_______ Arg. 2

    
    Using <oparen> and <cparen> fixes the non-matching parenthesis problem
    in each of the *two* arguments, but, as you say, it appears <backslash>
    is the correct fix for the problem.  The other way must be producing
    an extra argument (the right paren).

    Thankyou for the replies, the correct input should be 
    
    (<literal>(\)) 
    
    as I found out when I noticed that some output was missing.
    
    The extra "\" was placing the following text into a non existent
    column in the table.
    
    My main problem was that the error message pointed to a line distant
    from the actual error, and to a tag that did not appear in the source.

    A message like 
    
    TAG-W-TOOMANY Too many columns in <table_row> at line 888
    
    would greatly help locating this kind of error.
    
Peter.
    
    P.S. Keep up the great work, the BL8 Documents are very much better
    then BL6, and so is the product.