What is an Exception? Java, which is not a fully compiled language,
can have many different errors. When some process does not get the information
it needed, or it is no valid information, it "throws an exeption". StarView
trys to "catch" these exceptions and handle them accordingly. However,
as with any complex program, there are interactions that were not thought
of in dealing with all exeptions. This is when you will see an Exception.
StarView watches for all exceptions that it does not catch and handle. When one occures, the console window will appear with the exception listed in it.
Note that unlike many other programs, a JAVA application does not quit when it encounters an error. Hence, the program now allows you to do somethign with the exception. You can save it to disk with the Save Exception button, if you are debugging something in starview, or email it to the developers with the Email exception button so they can figure out what to do to prevent this in the future. Often the StarView program will be fully functional at this point and the user can continue as long as what they did to cause the exception can be worked around.
When you email the exception. it will appear with other information in an email editing window
You can add anything you wish to this message. It will be sent to the archive email account for the STScI developers to work with. When comunicating with the developers please include in as much detail what you were doing including: