SEF Import Errors And Warning Messages

The program displays errors and warnings in a special format, which gives complete information about the problem. For example, this a typical message:

WARNING- Unknown: "root" IN: (MAIN) In File: CAVES.SEF Line: 68

A message can consist of six parts. The parts are numbered in the example above. Here is a description of each part:

A. Message Type. This can be a WARNING or an ERROR. Warning messages indicate that the program has encountered a minor problem with import process. Error messages indicate that the program has encountered a major problem with the import process. Warnings usually don't cause errors in the converted data. Errors usually mean that the converted data is incomplete or defective. The following list shows the warning and error messages:

B. Error Detail. This is a more detailed description of problems. Here is a description of the messages:

1. Unknown - This message indicates that the program has encountered a directive that is not a part of the "SEF" specification. This could be caused by a software error in the program that generated the "SEF" file or changes in the "SEF" specification.

2. Irrelevant - This message indicates that the program has encountered a directive that is a part of the "SEF" specification, but is not used by Compass.

3. Include Files Nested Too Deep. The program only allows files to be nested 16 levels deep. This SEF file exceeded that level.

4. Unable To Open Include File. This error indicates that the program was unable to open the file that was specified in an "include" directive. This usually means that the “include” file was not in the current folder.

C. Error Item. This is the actual directive that caused the problem. Refer to the SEF specification for complete information

D. Section. SEF files are divided into several sections. This gives the section where the error occurred. It can be anyone of the following: MAIN, CONTROL GROUP, CONTROL UNITS, CONTROL ELEVATION UNITS, SURVEY GROUP or CORRECTION MODE. These section names are explained in detail in the SEF specifications.

E. In File. Gives the name of the file where the problem occurred.

F. Line. Gives the line number in the file where the problem occurred.