Document revision date: 30 March 2001

You can write a condition handler to obtain a copy of a system error message text and write the message into an auxiliary file, such as a listing file. In this way, you can receive identical messages at the terminal (or batch log file) and in the auxiliary file.

To log messages, you must write a condition handler and an action subroutine. Your handler calls the Put Message (SYS$PUTMSG) system service explicitly. The operation of SYS$PUTMSG is described in Section 9.11. The handler passes to SYS$PUTMSG the signal argument vector and the address of the action subroutine. SYS$PUTMSG passes to the action subroutine the address of a string descriptor that contains the length and address of the formatted message. The action subroutine can scan the message or copy it into a log file, or both.

It is important to keep the display messages centralized and consistent. Thus, you should use only SYS$PUTMSG to display or log system error messages. Further, because the system default handlers call SYS$PUTMSG to display error messages, your handlers should avoid displaying the error messages. You can do this in two ways:

• Your handler should not call SYS$PUTMSG directly to display an error message. Instead, your handler should resignal the error. This allows other calling routines either to change or suppress the message or to recover from the error. The system default condition handlers display the message.
• If the action subroutine that you supply to SYS$PUTMSG returns a success code, SYS$PUTMSG displays the error message on SYS$OUTPUT or SYS$ERROR, or both. When a program executes interactively or from within a command procedure, the logical names SYS$OUTPUT and SYS$ERROR are both equated to the user's terminal by default. Thus, your action routine should process the message and then return a failure code so that SYS$PUTMSG does not display the message at this point.
  To write the error messages displayed by your program to a file as well as to the terminal, equate SYS$ERROR to a file specification. When a program executes as a batch job, the logical names SYS$OUTPUT and SYS$ERROR are both equated to the batch log by default. To write error messages to the log file and a second file, equate SYS$ERROR to the second file.

Figure 9-15 shows the sequence of events involved in calling SYS$PUTMSG to log an error message to a file.

Figure 9-15 Using a Condition Handler to Log an Error Message

To keep a running log (that is, a log that is resumed each time your program is invoked) of the messages displayed by your program, use SYS$PUTMSG. Create a condition handler that invokes SYS$PUTMSG regardless of the signaled condition code. When you invoke SYS$PUTMSG, specify a function that writes the formatted message to your log file and then returns with a function value of 0. Have the condition handler resignal the condition code. One of the arguments of SYS$PUTMSG allows you to specify a user-defined function that SYS$PUTMSG invokes after formatting the message and before displaying the message. SYS$PUTMSG passes the formatted message to the specified function. If the function returns with a function value of 0, SYS$PUTMSG does not display the message; if the function returns with a value of 1, SYS$PUTMSG displays the message. The OpenVMS System Services Reference Manual contains complete specifications for SYS$PUTMSG.

9.11.2.2 Suppressing the Display of Messages in the Running Log

To keep a running log of messages, you might have your main program open a file for the error log, write the date, and then establish a condition handler to write all signaled messages to the error log. Each time a condition is signaled, a condition handler like the one in the following example invokes SYS$PUTMSG and specifies a function that writes the message to the log file and returns with a function value of 0. SYS$PUTMSG writes the message to the log file but does not display the message. After SYS$PUTMSG writes the message to the log file, the condition handler resignals to continue program execution. (The condition handler uses LIB$GET_COMMON to read the unit number of the file from the per-process common block.)

ERR.FOR

INTEGER FUNCTION ERRLOG (SIGARGS, 2 MECHARGS) ! Writes the message to file opened on the ! logical unit named in the per-process common block ! Define the dummy arguments INTEGER SIGARGS(*), 2 MECHARGS(*) INCLUDE '($SSDEF)' EXTERNAL PUT_LINE INTEGER PUT_LINE ! Pass signal array and PUT_LINE routine to SYS$PUTMSG SIGARGS(1) = SIGARGS(1) - 2 ! Subtract PC/PSL from signal array CALL SYS$PUTMSG (SIGARGS, 2 PUT_LINE, ) SIGARGS(1) = SIGARGS(1) + 2 ! Replace PC/PSL ERRLOG = SS$_RESIGNAL END

PUT_LINE.FOR

INTEGER FUNCTION PUT_LINE (LINE) ! Writes the formatted message in LINE to ! the file opened on the logical unit named ! in the per-process common block ! Dummy argument CHARACTER*(*) LINE ! Logical unit number CHARACTER*4 LOGICAL_UNIT INTEGER UNIT_NUM ! Indicates that SYS$PUTMSG is not to display the message PUT_LINE = 0 ! Get logical unit number and change to integer STATUS = LIB$GET_COMMON (LOGICAL_UNIT) READ (UNIT = LOGICAL_UNIT, 2 FMT = '(I4)') UNIT_NUMBER ! The main program opens the error log WRITE (UNIT = UNIT_NUMBER, 2 FMT = '(A)') LINE END

9.11.3 Using the Message Utility to Signal and Display User-Defined Messages

Section 9.11 explains how the OpenVMS Condition Handling facility displays messages. The signal argument list passed to LIB$SIGNAL or LIB$STOP can be seen as one or more message sequences. Each message sequence consists of a condition value, an FAO count, which specifies the number of FAO arguments to come, and the FAO arguments themselves. (The FAO count is omitted in the case of system and RMS messages.) The message text definition itself is actually a SYS$FAO control string, which may contain embedded $FAO directives. The OpenVMS System Services Reference Manual describes the Formatted ASCII Output (SYS$FAO) system service in detail.

The Message utility is provided for compiling message sequences specific to your application. When you have defined an exception condition and used the Message utility to associate a message with that exception condition, your program can call LIB$SIGNAL or LIB$STOP to signal the exception condition. You signal a message that is defined in a message source file by calling LIB$SIGNAL or LIB$STOP, as for any software-detected exception condition. Then the system default condition handlers display your error message in the standard operating system format.

To use the Message utility, follow these steps:

1. Create a source file that specifies the information used in messages, message codes, and message symbols.
2. Use the MESSAGE command to compile this source file.
3. Link the resulting object module, either by itself or with another object module containing a program.
4. Run your program so that the messages are accessed, either directly or through the use of pointers.

See also the description of the Message utility in the OpenVMS Command Definition, Librarian, and Message Utilities Manual.

9.11.3.1 Creating the Message Source File

A message source file contains definition statements and directives. The following message source file defines the error messages generated by the sample INCOME program:

INCMSG.MSG

.FACILITY INCOME, 1 /PREFIX=INCOME__ .SEVERITY WARNING LINELOST "Statistics on last line lost due to Ctrl/Z" .SEVERITY SEVERE BADFIXVAL "Bad value on /FIX" CTRLZ "Ctrl/Z entered on terminal" FORIOERR "Fortran I/O error" INSFIXVAL "Insufficient values on /FIX" MAXSTATS "Maximum number of statistics already entered" NOACTION "No action qualifier specified" NOHOUSE "No such house number" NOSTATS "No statistics to report" .END

The default file type of a message source file is .MSG. For a complete description of the Message utility, see the OpenVMS Command Definition, Librarian, and Message Utilities Manual.

9.11.3.1.1 Specifying the Facility

To specify the name and number of the facility for which you are defining the error messages, use the .FACILITY directive. For instance, the following .FACILITY directive specifies the facility (program) INCOME and a facility number of 1:

.FACILITY INCOME, 1

In addition to identifying the program associated with the error messages, the .FACILITY directive specifies the facility prefix that is added to each condition name to create the symbolic name used to reference the message. By default, the prefix is the facility name followed by an underscore. For example, a condition name BADFIXVAL defined following the previous .FACILITY directive is referenced as INCOME_BADFIXVAL. You can specify a prefix other than the specified program name by specifying the /PREFIX qualifier of the .FACILITY directive.

By convention, system-defined condition values are identified by the facility name, followed by a dollar sign ($), an underscore (_), and the condition name. User-defined condition values are identified by the facility name, followed by two underscores (_ _), and the condition name. To include two underscores in the symbolic name, use the /PREFIX qualifier to specify the prefix:

.FACILITY INCOME, 1 /PREFIX=INCOME__

A condition name BADFIXVAL defined following this .FACILITY directive is referenced as INCOME__BADFIXVAL.

The facility number, which must be between 1 and 2047, is part of the condition code that identifies the error message. To prevent different programs from generating the same condition values, the facility number must be unique. A good way to ensure uniqueness is to have the system manager keep a list of programs and their facility numbers in a file.

All messages defined after a .FACILITY directive are associated with the specified program. Specify either an .END directive or another .FACILITY directive to end the list of messages for that program. Compaq recommends that you have one .FACILITY directive per message file.

9.11.3.1.2 Specifying the Severity

Use the .SEVERITY directive and one of the following keywords to specify the severity of one or more condition values:

Success
Informational
Warning
Error
Severe or fatal

All condition values defined after a .SEVERITY directive have the specified severity (unless you use the /SEVERITY qualifier with the message definition statement to change the severity of one particular condition code). Specify an .END directive or another .SEVERITY directive to end the group of errors with the specified severity. Note that when the .END directive is used to end the list of messages for a .SEVERITY directive, it also ends the list of messages for the previous .FACILITY directive. The following example defines one condition code with a severity of warning and two condition values with a severity of severe. The optional spacing between the lines and at the beginning of the lines is used for clarity.

.SEVERITY WARNING LINELOST "Statistics on last line lost due to Ctrl/Z" .SEVERITY SEVERE BADFIXVAL "Bad value on /FIX" INSFIXVAL "Insufficient values on /FIX" .END

9.11.3.1.3 Specifying Condition Names and Messages

To define a condition code and message, specify the condition name and the message text. The condition name, when combined with the facility prefix, can contain up to 31 characters. The message text can be up to 255 characters but only one line long. Use quotation marks (" ") or angle brackets (<>) to enclose the text of the message. For example, the following line from INCMSG.MSG defines the condition code INCOME__BADFIXVAL:

BADFIXVAL "Bad value on /FIX"

9.11.3.1.4 Specifying Variables in the Message Text

To include variables in the message text, specify formatted ASCII output (FAO) directives. For details, see the description of the Message utility in the OpenVMS Command Definition, Librarian, and Message Utilities Manual. Specify the /FAO_COUNT qualifier after either the condition name or the message text to indicate the number of FAO directives that you used. The following example includes an integer variable in the message text:

NONUMBER <No such house number: !UL. Try again.>/FAO_COUNT=1

The FAO directive !UL converts a longword to decimal notation. To include a character string variable in the message, you could use the FAO directive !AS, as shown in the following example:

NOFILE <No such file: !AS. Try again.>/FAO_COUNT=1

If the message text contains FAO directives, you must specify the appropriate variables when you signal the condition code (see Section 9.11.4).

9.11.3.1.5 Compiling and Linking the Messages

Use the DCL command MESSAGE to compile a message source file into an object module. The following command compiles the message source file INCMSG.MSG into an object module named INCMSG in the file INCMSG.OBJ:

$ MESSAGE INCMSG

To specify an object file name that is different from the source file name, use the /OBJECT qualifier of the MESSAGE command. To specify an object module name that is different from the source file name, use the .TITLE directive in the message source file.

9.11.3.1.6 Linking the Message Object Module

The message object module must be linked with your program so the system can reference the messages. To simplify linking a program with the message object module, include the message object module in the program's object library. For example, to include the message module in INCOME's object library, enter the following:

$ LIBRARY INCOME.OLB INCMSG.OBJ

9.11.3.1.7 Accessing the Message Object Module from Multiple Programs

Including the message module in the program's object library does not allow other programs-access to the module's condition values and messages. To allow several programs access to a message module, create a default message library as follows:

1. Create the message library---Create an object module library and enter all of the message object modules into it.
2. Make the message library a default library---Equate the complete file specification of the object module library with the logical name LNK$LIBRARY. (If LNK$LIBRARY is already assigned a library name, you can create LNK$LIBRARY_1, LNK$LIBRARY_2, and so on.) By default, the linker searches any libraries equated with the LNK$LIBRARY logical names.

The following example creates the message library MESSAGLIB.OLB, enters the message object module INCMSG.OBJ into it, and makes MESSAGLIB.OLB a default library:

$ LIBRARY/CREATE MESSAGLIB $ LIBRARY/INSERT MESSAGLIB INCMSG $ DEFINE LNK$LIBRARY SYS$DISK:MESSAGLIB

9.11.3.1.8 Modifying a Message Source Module

To modify a message in the message library, modify and recompile the message source file, and then replace the module in the object module library. To access the modified messages, a program must relink against the object module library (or the message object module). The following command enters the module INCMSG into the message library MESSAGLIB; if MESSAGLIB already contains an INCMSG module, it is replaced:

$ LIBRARY/REPLACE MESSAGLIB INCMSG

9.11.3.1.9 Accessing Modified Messages Without Relinking

To allow a program to access modified messages without relinking, create a message pointer file. Message pointer files are useful if you need either to provide messages in more than one language or frequently change the text of existing messages. See the description of the Message utility in the OpenVMS Command Definition, Librarian, and Message Utilities Manual.

9.11.4 Signaling User-Defined Values and Messages with Global and Local Symbols

To signal a user-defined condition value, you use the symbol formed by the facility prefix and the condition name (for example, INCOME__BADFIXVAL). Typically, you reference a condition value as a global symbol; however, you can create an include file (similar to the modules in the system library SYS$LIBRARY:FORSTSDEF.TLB) to define the condition values as local symbols. If the message text contains FAO arguments, you must specify parameters for those arguments when you signal the condition value.

9.11.4.1 Signaling with Global Symbols

To signal a user-defined condition value using a global symbol, declare the appropriate condition value in the appropriate section of the program unit, and then invoke the RTL routine LIB$SIGNAL to signal the condition value. The following statements signal the condition value INCOME__NOHOUSE when the value of FIX_HOUSE_NO is less than 1 or greater than the value of TOTAL_HOUSES:

EXTERNAL INCOME__NOHOUSE . . . IF ((FIX_HOUSE_NO .GT. TOTAL_HOUSES) .OR. 2 FIX_HOUSE_NO .LT. 1)) THEN CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (%LOC (INCOME__NOHOUSE))) END IF

9.11.4.2 Signaling with Local Symbols

To signal a user-defined condition value using a local symbol, you must first create a file containing PARAMETER statements that equate each condition value with its user-defined condition value. To create such a file, do the following:

1. Create a listing file---Compile the message source file with the /LIST qualifier to the MESSAGE command. The /LIST qualifier produces a listing file with the same name as the source file and a file type of .LIS. The following line might appear in a listing file:

   08018020 11 NOHOUSE "No such house number"

   
   The hexadecimal value in the left column is the value of the condition value, the decimal number in the second column is the line number, the text in the third column is the condition name, and the text in quotation marks is the message text.

2. Edit the listing file---For each condition name, define the matching condition value as a longword variable, and use a language statement to equate the condition value to its hexadecimal condition value.
   Assuming a prefix of INCOME__, editing the previous statement results in the following statements:

   INTEGER INCOME__NOHOUSE PARAMETER (INCOME__NOHOUSE = '08018020'X)

3. Rename the listing file---Name the edited listing file using the same name as the source file and a file type for your programming language (for example, .FOR for Compaq Fortran).

In the definition section of your program unit, declare the local symbol definitions by naming your edited listing file in an INCLUDE statement. (You must still link the message object file with your program.) Invoke the RTL routine LIB$SIGNAL to signal the condition code. The following statements signal the condition code INCOME__NOHOUSE when the value of FIX_HOUSE_NO is less than 1 or greater than the value of TOTAL_HOUSES:

! Specify the full file specification INCLUDE '$DISK1:[DEV.INCOME]INCMSG.FOR' . . . IF ((FIX_HOUSE_NO .GT. TOTAL_HOUSES) .OR. 2 FIX_HOUSE_NO .LT. 1)) THEN CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (INCOME__NOHOUSE)) END IF

9.11.4.3 Specifying FAO Parameters

If the message contains FAO arguments, you must specify the number of FAO arguments as the second argument of LIB$SIGNAL, the first FAO argument as the third argument, the second FAO argument as the fourth argument, and so on. Pass string FAO arguments by descriptor (the default). For example, to signal the condition code INCOME__NONUMBER, where FIX_HOUSE_NO contains the erroneous house number, specify the following:

EXTERNAL INCOME__NONUMBER . . . IF ((FIX_HOUSE_NO .GT. TOTAL_HOUSES) .OR. 2 FIX_HOUSE_NO .LT. 1)) THEN CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (%LOC (INCOME__NONUMBER)), 2 %VAL (1), 2 %VAL (FIX_HOUSE_NO)) END IF

To signal the condition code NOFILE, where FILE_NAME contains the invalid file specification, specify the following:

EXTERNAL INCOME__NOFILE . . . IF (IOSTAT .EQ. FOR$IOS_FILNOTFOU) 2 CALL LIB$SIGNAL (%VAL (%LOC (INCOME__NOFILE)), 2 %VAL (1), 2 FILE_NAME)

Both of the previous examples use global symbols for the condition values. Alternatively, you could use local symbols, as described in Section 9.11.4.2.

9.12 Writing a Condition Handler

When you write a condition handler into your program, the process involves one or more of the following actions:

• Establish the handler in the stack frame of your routine.
• Write a condition-handling routine, or choose one of the run-time library routines that handles exception conditions.
• Include a call to a run-time library signal-generating routine.
• Use the Message utility to define your own exception conditions.
• Include a call to the SYS$PUTMSG system service to modify or log the system error message.

You can write a condition handler to take action when an exception condition is signaled. When the exception condition occurs, the OpenVMS Condition Handling facility sets up the signal argument vector and mechanism argument vector and begins the search for a condition handler. Therefore, your condition-handling routine must declare variables to contain the two argument vectors. Further, the handler must indicate the action to be taken when it returns to the OpenVMS Condition Handling facility. The handler uses its function value to do this. Thus, the calling sequence for your condition handler has the following format:

handler signal-args ,mechanism-args

signal-args

The address of a vector of longwords indicating the nature of the condition. See Section 9.8.2 for a detailed description.

mechanism-args

The address of a vector of longwords that indicates the state of the process at the time of the signal. See Section 9.8.3 and Section 9.8.4 for more details.

result

A condition value. Success (bit <0> = 1) causes execution to continue at the PC; failure (bit <0> = 0) causes the condition to be resignaled. That is, the system resumes the search for other handlers. If the handler calls the Unwind (SYS$UNWIND) system service, the return value is ignored and the stack is unwound. (See Section 9.12.3.)

Handlers can modify the contents of either the signal-args vector or the mechanism-args vector.

In order to protect compiler optimization, a condition handler and any routines that it calls can reference only arguments that are explicitly passed to handlers. They cannot reference COMMON or other external storage, and they cannot reference local storage in the routine that established the handler unless the compiler considers the storage to be volatile. Compilers that do not adhere to this rule must ensure that any variables referenced by the handler are always kept in memory, not in a register.

As mentioned previously, a condition handler can take one of three actions:

• Continue execution
• Resignal the exception condition and resume the stack scanning operation
• Call SYS$UNWIND to unwind the call stack to an earlier frame

The sections that follow describe how to write condition handlers to perform these three operations.

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