Re: What does code 123 mean?... (Shell command failed with code 123 and no output)

[Tim X <timx@nospam.dev.null>]

Don Saklad <dsaklad@gnu.org> writes:

> a.
> What does code 123 mean?... in
>
>      (Shell command failed with code 123 and no output)
>

This is usually the exit status from the shell command you are
running. Sometimes, programs that run commands will do a logical AND of
the return value from the command and some other value, which can be
used to indicate errors in executing the command rather than errors in
the comamnd itself and you will need to do a bit shift to get the actual
error code. 



>
> b.
> Where is there a list of codes and what the codes mean?...
>

There isn't any standard list. There are some conventions on the use of
error codes, but many programs don't follow them. The best place to
check is probably the man page or other documentation for the command
you are running. Also, check the definition of shell-command - you can
call it with a 3rd argument that specifies a buffer for errors to be
sent to (i.e. shell commands stderr). Calling it with this set may give
you some clue as to what is going on. 

HTH

Tim

-- 
tcross (at) rapttech dot com dot au