Error message
message displayed on a monitor screen or printout indicating that an incorrect instruction has been given or that there is an error resulting from faulty software or hardware
In computing, an error message is a relatively short text message that describes a problematic situation. An error message generally indicates that an operation failed and may imply if not direct the user to a corrective action.
An error message is a classification of information reported by software. Other information can be classified as a warning to describe a potential problem or as purely informational (not about a problem). Additionally, not all error information is classified as an error message. For example, a core dump or a stack trace may be reported about an error condition, but although they are a form of error information, they are not considered error messages. A more abstract representation of an error is sometimes used instead of a message such as an indicator light or a numeric display which may require the user to consult documentation to interpret the error.
An error message can be reported in a variety of ways. For example, in a graphical user interface (GUI), an error message may be displayed in a dialog box. In a command-line interface (CLI), an error message may be printed to a standard stream.
“Error message” enters the record as message displayed on a monitor screen or printout indicating that an incorrect instruction has been given or that there is an error resulting from faulty software or hardware. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Error, message and displayed can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Error message” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Error, message and displayed provides the most credible route into that argument.
The date and method of observation matter as much as the stated conclusion, especially where classification or consensus has changed. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 7, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1332193. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference.
Current terminology should not be projected backward without checking the classification used when the underlying evidence was created. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Error message” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.