Error Handling Preferences

There are options to create longer stack traces for some errors, and to downgrade some design inconsistency errors to warnings.

Create Longer Stack Traces

For a few specific errors, enabling this option tells TopBraid Composer to identify the root cause of the problem, and include this in a long stack trace that can be sent to TopQuadrant for rapid resolution. The longer stack trace may show both where the error occurred and the earlier execution of conflicting code; or the point where the error was detected, after the event, and the earlier execution of defective code. This option is very expensive in terms of both execution time and memory, and has a very noticeable effect on performance. Do not leave this option checked, except when specifically required to create an error report to send to TopQuadrant.

A sample error message suggesting use of this option is:

Notice that depending on the seriousness of the error and the effectiveness of error recovery, the message may say: You are advised to restart TopBraid Composer or You may wish to restart TopBraid Composer or not. In the first case, restarting TopBraid Composer is required.

Treatment of Design Inconsistencies

TopBraid Composer consist of many different software modules. To ensure correct operation, we automatically detect software design conflicts concerning:

• Modifying graphs in one module, where another is expecting the graph to remain unchanged.
• Accessing a graph in one module, where another claims to be the sole user of that graph.
• Taking locks in one order in one module and in a different order in a different module.

None of these conditions would immediately prevent continued operation. The first two can, rarely, lead to unpredictable software instability, such as a null pointer exception, when the expectations of one module are not met, and the last can, very rarely, lead to deadlock, where an operating system command (End Task, Force Quit or kill -KILL) will be needed to exit TopBraid Composer.

To avoid such issues the default behavior is to treat the design inconsistency itself as a more predictable error. Unchecking the option will give a warning if design inconsistencies are detected and allow continued operation. If you do so, you may choose to occasionally restart TopBraid Composer, particularly before switching from one task to a different task.

All of these design inconsistency conditions have the possibility of extended stack traces, which give the two points of execution showing the inconsistency.

A sample error message for these conditions looks like: