Why the hpprime error messages are not explicit?

[compsystems]

part(-x,2) "Error: Bad Argument Value"

error in the first or second argument? and that type of error

which it is the problem not include explicit outputs?, cost more memory?, difficulty in translating and n languages?

[Joe Horn]

(05-26-2016 06:41 PM)compsystems Wrote:  part(-x,2) "Error: Bad Argument Value"
error in the first or second argument?

Both. You're asking for the second part of an expression that contains only one part. Try either part(-x-y,2) or part(-x,1). The error messages are not intended to teach the user how to use the functions. That's what the documentation and Help system are for.

[salvomic]

(05-27-2016 03:44 AM)Joe Horn Wrote:  The error messages are not intended to teach the user how to use the functions. That's what the documentation and Help system are for.

indeed, and the Help system is enough good...
However, I have thought from many time how good it would be to have also a "custom help", an option for a custom program to set a private help system, so the user could input a custom function and get its help too...
Hoping in future developments :-)

Salvo

[compsystems]

an analogy, a bad compiler throws bad messages, difficult to detect the error, the program editor of the prime is bad, because it does not say exactly where in this error and what kind is.

think that the programmer is a student, not a professional in mathematic