I keep getting ERROR 8 but I have checked the
line and nothing is wrong'
Les Ellingham offers a solution to help
beginners
The above must be one of the most common calls for
help that we get from our readers. Most people look up the error to
find 'DATA MIS-MATCH' or similar (see Steve Pedler's article for
further information) and because the on screen message states 'Error
8 in line xxx' they assume that the line in question has been typed
wrong. Not necessarily so. The error is normally linked to a READ
statement in the line in question and the actual error is in the
DATA that this line is trying to read. So how do you know where the
error actually is?
What you need to do is check through the DATA in
your program for a mis-type, maybe a full stop instead of a comma, a
letter O instead of figure 0 or a comma at the end of a line. If
however the program has dozens of lines of DATA as is often the
case, how do you know where to look? Fear not, this little program
added to the end of your listing will help you to pinpoint the error
quite quickly.
32500
ERRLINE=PEEK(183)+256*PEEK (184):ERRITEM=PEEK (182)
32510 ? "DATA MIS-MATCH IN LINE ";ERRLINE;" ITEM NO
";ERRITEM+1
32520
? :LIST ERRLINE
How to
use the listing:
As the listing is so short you could just type it
in at the end of each program but a better way is to type it in now
and save it to tape using LIST "C:" or to disk using LIST
"D: ERROR.8". When you have typed in your program, add
this listing by typing ENTER "C:" or ENTER
"D:ERROR.8" which will then add these lines to the end of
your program. (Make sure that the program does not already use the
same line numbers.)
You now have two choices. RUN your program and if
'ERROR 8' comes up, type GOTO 32500 and you will find out where the
error is. Alternatively you can automate the process by adding the
following line to your program
0 TRAP 32500
and the program will then jump straight to the
routine.
Once you have edited the line concerned, RUN the
program again until you have no more errors. It is a good idea to
SAVE the edited program regularly or note separately each alteration
as some programs do not allow you to break and save them once they
are up and running.
A Final Warning.
This little routine is not infallible. Some
programs read numbers into a variable followed by letters into a
string and the errors come when you get out of sequence. Always
check that you have enough DATA in the preceding line usually
numbers). If you have made a complete mess, such as missing out a
whole line, then I am afraid you are back on your own!
Try the routine anyway, it could save you many
frustrating hours.
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