Description
Occurs when a serious runtime error occurs (such as trying to open a nonexistent window) if the error is not handled in a try-catch block.
Event ID
Arguments
None
Return Values
None. (Do not use a RETURN statement.)
Usage
If there is no script for the SystemError event, PowerBuilder displays a message box with the PowerBuilder error number and error message text. For information about error messages, see the section called “Handling errors at runtime” in Users Guide.
If you comment out the entire script in the SystemError event, in a standard PowerBuilder application the event is still triggered and the message box does not display.
For errors involving external objects and DataWindows, you can handle the error in the ExternalException or Error events and prevent the SystemError event from occurring. The ExternalException and Error events are maintained for backward compatibility.
You can prevent the SystemError event from occurring by handling errors in try-catch blocks. Well-designed exception-handling code gives application users a better chance to recover from error conditions and run the application without interruption. For information about exception handling, see the section called “Exception handling in PowerBuilder” in Application Techniques.
When a SystemError event occurs, your current script terminates and your system might become unstable. It is generally not a good idea to continue running the application, but you can use the SystemError event script to clean up and disconnect from the DBMS before closing the application.
Examples
This statement in the SystemError event halts the application immediately:
HALT CLOSE
See also
