NAME
Alert -- alert the user of an error
SYNOPSIS
Alert(alertNum)
D7
void Alert(ULONG);FUNCTION
Alerts the user of a serious system problem. This function will bring the system to a grinding halt, and do whatever is necessary to present the user with a message stating what happened. Interrupts are disabled, and an attempt to post the alert is made. If that fails, the system is reset. When the system comes up again, Exec notices the cause of the failure and tries again to post the alert.
If the Alert is a recoverable type, this call MAY return.
This call may be made at any time, including interrupts.
POST-MORTEM DIAGNOSIS There are several options for determining the cause of a crash. Descriptions of each alert number can be found in the "alerts.h" include file. Low numbers not mentioned in the include file represent 68000 exceptions, see a 68000 manual for details. The most common numbers are: $00000003 - Address Error $00000004 - Illegal Instruction
A remote terminal can be attached to the Amiga's first built-in serial port. Set the communication parameters to 9600 baud, 8 bits, no parity. Before resetting the machine, the Alert function will blink the power LED 10 times. While the power indicator is flashing, pressing DELETE on the remote terminal will invoke the ROMWack debugger.
For Alerts caused by a 68000 exception, all registers are copied to a magic low memory location (currently 16 longwords at $180).
INPUT alertNum - a number indicating the particular alert. -1 is not a valid input.
NOTE Much more needs to be said about this function and its implications.
SEE ALSO