Add help/hints to File Reading block error message

Request a new command, feature, or improvement

Moderator: MSandro

Post Reply
anders_s
Posts: 1
Joined: Jul 20th, '17, 11:52

Add help/hints to File Reading block error message

Post by anders_s » Jul 20th, '17, 12:05

I tried using the Table from File block, and I got the following error: Error: could not read the file Test.txt. It's pretty common for a user to have trouble reading in file, and this error message doesn't give enough info to know where to start diagnosing the problem.

The About blurb says "GP can... •analyze text files or CSV data sets." If you're going to encourage people to use GP for playing with files, you might want to beef up how Table from File block handles problems. For example:

- If GP couldn't see the file: let the user know, and let them know what directory GP expected to find the file

- If there's a problem with the file's structure: at a minimum, tell the user GP is having trouble making sense of the file & how the file should be formatted, ideally with a link to a file that's in the right format

- If data in one of the columns was causing GP to choke: which column, some hints as to what to look for

Thanks!

Post Reply