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Version: 25.1 (stable)

Define An Error Message

Error Messages are the most crucial messages displayed by your HMI, as they assist operators in troubleshooting issues as they happen.

So let's start by defining our first one.

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  1. Add New Message Type

Click Add Type within the Message Types View:

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  1. Choose a Unique Code

First, pick a unique message code to indicate your error. Each team will need to figure out what form these codes will take. Also, your organization might have a long history of message codes, so stick with that if you want to provide consistent error information across your product range.

We'll use ERROR-1 as the code for now:

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  1. Choose the Right Level

Choose Error as the Level of the new message.

  1. Choose a Descriptive Title
  • Define the Title that will be displayed in the message dialog.
  • Make sure you're choosing unique translation keys and provide translations for each language of your project.
  1. Provide a Clear Description

Remember that errors will cause stressful situations. With this in mind:

  • Describe the cause of error clearly and precisely.
  • Be sure to keep it brief, using only the most essential words.
  • Don't add unnecessary complexity by apologizing. Apologizing is human. But it can be annoying, especially if it happens repeatedly. Perhaps well-intentioned statements such as Sorry! are usually unnecessary since they will distract your operators from finding the solution.
  1. Offer a Structured Solution
  • Be clear about what operators can do to fix the error quickly.
  • Keep in mind that clear, step-by-step instructions are key.
  • Speed before politeness – avoid every unnecessary word like Please in order to get operators to the solution as quickly as possible.
  • If possible: provide a quick way to ask for help if no solution has helped to fix the problem

Check Your Result

Your newly defined error message should now look something like this:

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Mission accomplished!

Wonderful, we've got our first Message Type set up. Let's move on to the next message level: Warn.