Appendix C Standard Errors

Here is the complete list of the error symbols in standard Emacs, grouped by concept. The list includes each symbol’s message (on the error-message property of the symbol) and a cross reference to a description of how the error can occur.

Each error symbol has an error-conditions property that is a list of symbols. Normally this list includes the error symbol itself and the symbol error. Occasionally it includes additional symbols, which are intermediate classifications, narrower than error but broader than a single error symbol. For example, all the errors in accessing files have the condition file-error.

As a special exception, the error symbol quit does not have the condition error, because quitting is not considered an error.

See Errors, for an explanation of how errors are generated and handled.

symbol

string; reference.

error

"error"
See Errors.

quit

"Quit"
See Quitting.

args-out-of-range

"Args out of range"
See Sequences Arrays Vectors.

arith-error

"Arithmetic error"
See / and % in Numbers.

beginning-of-buffer

"Beginning of buffer"
See Motion.

buffer-read-only

"Buffer is read-only"
See Read Only Buffers.

cyclic-function-indirection

"Symbol's chain of function indirections contains a loop"
See Function Indirection.

domain-error

"Arithmetic domain error"

end-of-buffer

"End of buffer"
See Motion.

end-of-file

"End of file during parsing"
This is not a file-error.
See Input Functions.

file-error

This error and its subcategories do not have error-strings, because the error message is constructed from the data items alone when the error condition file-error is present.
See Files.

file-locked

This is a file-error.
See File Locks.

file-already-exists

This is a file-error.
See Writing to Files.

file-supersession

This is a file-error.
See Modification Time.

invalid-byte-code

"Invalid byte code"
See Byte Compilation.

invalid-function

"Invalid function"
See Classifying Lists.

invalid-read-syntax

"Invalid read syntax"
See Input Functions.

invalid-regexp

"Invalid regexp"
See Regular Expressions.

mark-inactive

"The mark is not active now"

no-catch

"No catch for tag"
See Catch and Throw.

overflow-error

"Arithmetic overflow error"

protected-field

"Attempt to modify a protected field"

range-error

"Arithmetic range error"

search-failed

"Search failed"
See Searching and Matching.

setting-constant

"Attempt to set a constant symbol"
See Variables that Never Change.

singularity-error

"Arithmetic singularity error"

undefined-keystroke-sequence

"Undefined keystroke sequence"

void-function

"Symbol's function definition is void"
See Function Cells.

void-variable

"Symbol's value as variable is void"
See Accessing Variables.

wrong-number-of-arguments

"Wrong number of arguments"
See Classifying Lists.

wrong-type-argument

"Wrong type argument"
See Type Predicates.

These error types, which are all classified as special cases of arith-error, can occur on certain systems for invalid use of mathematical functions.

domain-error

"Arithmetic domain error"
See Math Functions.

overflow-error

"Arithmetic overflow error"
See Math Functions.

range-error

"Arithmetic range error"
See Math Functions.

singularity-error

"Arithmetic singularity error"
See Math Functions.

underflow-error

"Arithmetic underflow error"
See Math Functions.