For questions on interpreting existing error messages that you have encountered, as well as writing and managing messages, assertions and checks for your own functions.
27
votes
3answers
384 views
No warning when extrapolating with Plot
One of the most annoying "features" of Mathematica is that the Plot family does extrapolation on InterpolatingFunctions without ...
21
votes
1answer
271 views
which is better, using Assert[] or manual checks on arguments and other computations?
I never used Asserts in Mathematica, but trying to see what advantage they have over just argument check and additional definitions of the function to capture unwanted input.
For example, which one ...
17
votes
4answers
735 views
Why does MatrixForm affect calculations?
This is a really newbie question, but it has me confused. Why does this code work without // MatrixForm and doesn't work with ...
17
votes
2answers
597 views
Mathematica Debuggability
One of the things that I really dislike about Mathematica is its lack of debuggability compared to many other programming languages. Some of the problems arises from the functional nature of ...
13
votes
1answer
92 views
Standard message definition construct
Why are the messages almost always defined like this (at least in packages):
If[Not@ValueQ[function::usage], function::usage = "Usage message"]
and not just like ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
Importing a large Excel file
I'm trying to import a simple Excel file containing 94,000 rows and 52 columns of various types, mostly Reals. It's a 38-MB file. I get this super helpful error ...
11
votes
3answers
480 views
What is an “INTERNAL SELF-TEST ERROR”?
I get this all the time since updating to 9.0 (OS 10.8.2):
That's Clipboard|c|3015 for the benefit of anyone searching.
What does an "Internal self-test error" mean?
10
votes
1answer
260 views
Finding a Specific Line in a Package
In a package I am developing, I accidentally left this line
Protect[
uncompleted prior to running the package. Mathematica produced this error message
...
10
votes
1answer
211 views
Check does not interrupt evaluation of the expression when a Message is emitted
On the surface, Check looks like a good method to use when you need to abort the evaluation of an expression whenever a Message ...
10
votes
0answers
134 views
Quiet doesn't work with FindRoot when using Brent method
The following has no solution:
FindRoot[x == 1, {x, 0.25, 0, 0.5}]
And Mathematica correctly warns us:
FindRoot::reged: The point {0.5} is at the edge of the ...
9
votes
4answers
283 views
Using Position (which requires a pattern) in the same manner as Select (which requires a criterion)
I am using Mathematica7. I have a list of lists (creatively named list in the following sample code) containing data. I would like to find the positions of the ...
9
votes
2answers
190 views
How to find a specific error message?
Is there a way to find an existing error message in the System` context, that is used for a certain case? I want to include a message in a custom function that ...
9
votes
2answers
303 views
Take screenshot of the entire desktop using Mathematica
Is it possible to get a screenshot of the entire desktop directly in Mathematica?
I am on Ubuntu running Mathematica 8. For some reason GUIScreenShot[] fails. But ...
8
votes
4answers
702 views
What is the cleanest way to prevent divide-by-zero warnings?
If I evaluate {1, 2, 3, 4}/{5, 6, 0, 8}, obviously I get one warning:
...
7
votes
3answers
923 views
General::ivar is not a valid variable when plotting - what actually causes this and how to avoid it?
I was just evaluating a couple of expressions and started to get errors like this:
...
7
votes
2answers
323 views
Solving/Reducing equations in $\mathbb{Z}/p\mathbb{Z}$
I was trying to find all the numbers $n$ for which $2^n=n\mod 10^k$ using Mathematica.
My first try:
Reduce[2^n == n, n, Modulus -> 100]
However, I receive ...
7
votes
2answers
467 views
What do I do when I get an “Iterator does not have appropriate bounds” error?
I used this as input
Table[600851475143/i , {i, 1, 600851475143}]
but got an error
...
7
votes
2answers
385 views
Table function with Part[] call misbehaving, but only after initial startup of Mathematica
I am getting errors like:
Part::partd:
Part specification standardBasis[[1]] is longer than depth of object.
with the following Manipulate expression:
...
7
votes
1answer
121 views
StringMatchQ and Alternative throws message in init.m
The report of this issue, which itself relates to code of my answer here, exposed a behavior I cannot explain. If I use StringMatchQ in combination with ...
7
votes
1answer
187 views
What does MaxStepFraction do?
I find that with NDSolve[...] while solving a partial differential equation, changing the MaxStepFraction from ...
6
votes
4answers
91 views
How to catch complete error message information
If I evaluate this expression:
Module[{}, 1/0;0^0]; msg = $MessageList
I get:
...
6
votes
2answers
243 views
How do I make NotebookEvaluate work inside Button?
The following creates a button to select a notebook to run. When the button is pressed it seems that Mathematica finds the notebook but cannot evaluate it. The following error occurs
Could not ...
6
votes
1answer
188 views
Mathematica Opens Each Session With Beep
First off, I am using Mathematica 8.0 and Mac OS X 10.7.4. Recently, when starting a new Mathematica session, I am confronted with an error beep and message window stating "The file you tried to open ...
5
votes
2answers
418 views
Error (NSolve::ifun) when using NSolve, I need help interpreting the error
I wrote the following code to observe how the solutions to the equation $(e^{i a})^2 = e^{i b}$ varied as $b$ varied between 0 and $2\pi$
...
5
votes
3answers
246 views
ComplexInfinity/Indeterminate error when evaluating derivative
Motivation: I want to find the coefficients for the polynomial that is obtained when one adds together the first $n$ natural numbers to the power of $a$; that is, when you consider $1^{a} + 2^{a} + ...
5
votes
2answers
120 views
“Not a valid Filling specification” error
I have a function, which plots the given function array f. This is a part of the function:
...
5
votes
1answer
94 views
Strange Tilt on error notification
I was testing the source code of the answers to this question.
And when I tried this response and maxed out most of the manipulators, this is what I got.
What went wrong that the errors are ...
5
votes
1answer
143 views
5
votes
1answer
147 views
Differential Equations with Matrices
I'm trying to implement the differential equation of a Cellular Neural Network in Mathematica as seen below:
...
5
votes
1answer
77 views
What is the simplest way to determine which call to a superfunction has generated a Message?
I have a complicated function which contains many calls to NIntegrate, NSolve, FindRoot and ...
5
votes
1answer
110 views
How can I deal with an NDSolve::ivone message regarding boundary values?
I have a question regarding the error message:
...
4
votes
2answers
156 views
4
votes
1answer
522 views
FeynArts not working properly
So I have installed all FeynArts folders (from 3.5 to 3.7) with FeynCalc 8.0.1., and none of it is working properly :\
First I load the path to specific FeynArts package (3.5 for instance), then, by:
...
4
votes
1answer
466 views
NonlinearModelFit::cvmit: Failed to converge to the requested accuracy or precision within 100 iterations
I have got a problem in my program with NonlinearModelFit:
...
4
votes
2answers
276 views
How to set the initial condition? (to make IC and BC consistent)
I want to find the initial condition which fits mixed boundary condition of Phi[r, Theta, t].
The original initial condition in text is
Phi[r, Theta, 0] == 1
. ...
4
votes
1answer
195 views
Error Interpretation in NIntegrate
I am using a recursion algorithm developed by Migdal for Lattice Field Theory, and I have the following code:
...
3
votes
2answers
98 views
How can I get WhenEvent to recognize criterion I specify?
Using NDSolve I want to solve a differential equation till a quantity which is a function of the dependent variables reaches a certain value. My functions and criteria are complicated, but I am able ...
3
votes
1answer
114 views
CreateCOMObject doesn't work on home edition
I can call an application named "PinPoint.Plate" with Visual Basic, Python and Mathematica version 8 but not with version 9. I can still call Excel though. How can I fix this? This is what I did:
...
3
votes
1answer
166 views
FunctionInterpolation Errors / Question re Evaluation Order and Options
I have using Mathematica functions that takes a Cartesian coordinate relative to the Earth (xyz) and converts it to a latitude, longitude, and altitude (lla). And here it is:
...
3
votes
0answers
88 views
Dealing with errors and resuming the code after one
How can I write my Mathematica code so that it resumes at a specific place if any Message is displayed during the execution of an expression? For example, in Visual ...
2
votes
1answer
529 views
Mathematica Can't Evaluate This?
I am trying to find the inverse function of $\frac{\ln{x}}{x^2}$ in Mathematica. I am using the Solve[] function to find the inverse (yes, I know about ...
2
votes
3answers
195 views
How can `SquareWave` be used as the input in `OutputResponse`?
I'd like to compute the response of a TransferFunctionModel when driven by a SquareWave. Here's a simple example,
...
2
votes
1answer
46 views
How to show error messages in current notebook?
I would like Mathematica to print error messages in current notebook together with output.
This is default option in Mathematica, but recently I turned it off somehow.
Now, I am getting output in ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
Printing a success message if no errors have yet been thrown in the current session
I plan to run a lengthy Mathematica script on a Linux terminal (by "a Linux terminal," I mean that I have text output only -- no GUI), using the program math. To ...
2
votes
1answer
286 views
FindRoot Infinite expression 1/0 encountered error
I have 1 equation in 1 variable, which when I use Plot, looks like this:
...
2
votes
1answer
245 views
2
votes
2answers
199 views
Solving set of non-linear simultaneous equations gives PolynomialGCD::lgrexp error - what next?
I'm trying to solve a set of six simultaneous non-linear equations to get a numerical answer using NSolve:
...
2
votes
2answers
511 views
NMinimize with defined function call getting error NMinimize::nnum
I want to call the NMinimize function for my own defined calculations but I got an error. Below is a simple example.
...
2
votes
1answer
68 views
Infinite Expression Error from NDSolve
I am trying to solve a differential equation numerically. So I have
...
2
votes
2answers
294 views
Problem with NDsolve for a system of equations
I want to solve a system of differential equations which is not very complicated, but I cannot handle the problem with mathematica!!
Please have a look at the problem and result and help me with your ...
