BASIC Error Messages

This page lists BASIC error messages and what they mean.

Error	Description
ACS argument out of range (-1..1)	ACS was given a value outside its valid range.
Array 'array_name' already dimensioned	The array has already been created with DIM.
Array 'array_name': Out of memory	There was not enough memory to create or resize the array.
Array index index_value out of bounds	An array index was outside the valid range.
Array index index_value out of bounds [0..max_index]	An array index was outside the valid range shown.
Array subscripts cannot be negative	An array index below zero was used.
Array too small for PUSH [0..max_index]	PUSH needs more room than the array has.
ASN argument out of range (-1..1)	ASN was given a value outside its valid range.
Bad Address at &hex_address	A memory access used an invalid address.
Bad string literal	A string constant is malformed.
Block IF/THEN/ELSE without ENDIF	A block IF was not closed with ENDIF.
COLOUR expected	A colour value or COLOUR token was expected here.
CONTINUE FOR used outside FOR	CONTINUE FOR was used when not inside a FOR loop.
CONTINUE must be followed by WHILE, FOR, or REPEAT	CONTINUE needs a loop type after it.
CONTINUE REPEAT used outside REPEAT	CONTINUE REPEAT was used when not inside a REPEAT loop.
CONTINUE WHILE used outside WHILE	CONTINUE WHILE was used when not inside a WHILE loop.
Call stack depth exceeded	Too many nested calls were made.
Call stack exhausted when calling constructor PROC for library 'library_file'	The library constructor could not be called because the call stack was full.
Can't ENDPROC from a FN	ENDPROC was used inside a function.
Can't return a value from a PROC	A procedure tried to return a value with =.
Can't store socket descriptor in STRING	A socket handle cannot be assigned to a string variable.
Cannot compare string with number	A comparison mixed text and numeric values.
Cannot mix string and number with '+' or '-'	String and numeric values were combined with + or -.
Cannot store socket descriptor in REAL	A socket handle cannot be assigned to a real variable.
DATAREAD / DATAREADR / DATAREAD$ related Out of DATA	A DATAREAD function ran past the available DATA.
DECIBELS / sound-related out-of-memory messages	There was not enough memory for the requested sound operation.
Division by zero	A division or modulus used zero as the divisor.
Duplicate function name 'function_name'	A DEF FN or DEF PROC name was defined more than once.
EMPTYRAMDISK$ / RAMDISK$ formatting errors	The ramdisk could not be created or formatted.
ENDPROC when not inside PROC	ENDPROC was used outside a procedure call.
EOF is a function	EOF must be used as a function, not as a statement.
Empty string	An operation expected a non-empty string.
ENVELOPE number out of range	The envelope number is outside the valid range.
ENVELOPE: No sound driver is loaded	Sound envelopes cannot be used without a sound driver.
End of function without returning value	A function finished without returning a result.
Error allocating string buffer	Memory could not be allocated for a string buffer.
Error reading PROC and FN definitions from library file 'library_file'	Function or procedure definitions could not be read from the library.
Error reading from file: file_error_message	A file read failed.
Error reading library file 'library_file'	The library file could not be read.
Error retrieving directory items: error_message	A directory listing could not be read.
Error retrieving size: error_message	The size of a file or directory entry could not be read.
Error writing to file: error_message	A file write failed.
Escape	Execution was interrupted by Escape.
Expected expected_token got actual_token	The parser found a different token than expected.
Expected CREATE or DESTROY after ENVELOPE	ENVELOPE must be followed by CREATE or DESTROY.
Expected CREATE or DESTROY after STREAM	STREAM must be followed by CREATE or DESTROY.
Expected PLAY, STOP, PAUSE or VOLUME after SOUND	SOUND was followed by an invalid subcommand.
Expected PROC or OFF	ON ERROR expected PROC or OFF.
Expected expression	An expression was expected here.
Expected integer DATA	DATAREAD expected an integer item.
Expected real DATA	DATAREADR expected a real item.
Expected string DATA	DATAREAD$ expected a string item.
FMOD divide by zero	FMOD was given zero as the divisor.
FOR loop is infinite	The FOR loop step will never reach the end value.
FOR: Out of memory	There was not enough memory to create the FOR loop state.
FNfunction_name: atomic function timed out	A user-defined function ran too long without finishing.
Failed to decode first GIF frame 'sprite_file'	The first frame of a GIF sprite could not be decoded.
Failed to format ramdisk 'disk_name'	The ramdisk filesystem could not be created.
Failed to initialise GIF stream 'sprite_file'	The GIF decoder could not be initialised.
Failed to initialise ramdisk of sector_count sectors	The ramdisk backing store could not be set up.
Failed to load timezone 'timezone_name'	The requested timezone data could not be loaded.
Failed to read keymap file 'keymap_file'	The keymap file could not be read.
Failed to swizzle sprite 'sprite_file'	Sprite pixel data could not be converted into internal format.
GOSUB: stack exhausted	The GOSUB stack is full.
Hexadecimal number too short	A hexadecimal constant ended too early.
Invalid ENVELOPE number	The envelope number does not refer to an existing envelope.
Invalid GIF dimensions	The GIF image has invalid or unsupported dimensions.
Invalid SLEEP duration	SLEEP was given an invalid delay.
Invalid STREAM handle	The stream handle does not refer to a valid sound stream.
Invalid UDP packet length	The UDP packet size is invalid.
Invalid UDP port number	The UDP port number is invalid.
Invalid address: hex_address	A pointer or memory address argument was invalid.
Invalid array size size_value	The requested array size is invalid.
Invalid character	The input contains a character that is not valid here.
Invalid directory 'directory_path'	The supplied directory path is malformed or invalid.
Invalid integer variable for DATASET 'variable_name'	DATASET expected a valid integer variable name.
Invalid length	A length parameter was invalid.
Invalid port for LISTEN	The port number given to LISTEN is invalid.
Invalid radix	The radix/base is invalid for this operation.
Invalid radix (not in range between 2 and 36)	The radix must be between 2 and 36.
Invalid register	The specified register is not valid.
Invalid socket descriptor	The socket handle does not refer to a valid socket.
Invalid sprite handle	The sprite handle does not refer to a valid sprite.
Invalid variable name 'variable_name'	The variable name is not valid.
Keymap file 'keymap_file' not found	The requested keymap file does not exist.
LOG argument must be > 0	LOG was given zero or a negative value.
Library 'library_file': Library files cannot contain line numbers	A library file included numbered BASIC lines, which are not allowed.
Loading libraries from EVAL is not allowed	LIBRARY cannot be used inside EVAL.
Malformed hexadecimal number	A hexadecimal constant is malformed.
Malformed number	A numeric constant is malformed.
Malformed variable name 'variable_name'	The variable name is syntactically invalid.
MATCH: error_message	A regular expression operation failed with the message shown.
MATCH: execution error	The regular expression engine failed while matching.
MATCH: invalid regular expression (error_code)	The regular expression pattern is invalid.
MATCH: out of memory	There was not enough memory for the regular expression operation.
MATCH: too many capture variables (max max_count)	Too many capture variables were requested for MATCH.
Missing line number after line line_number: line_text	A numbered BASIC program line was malformed or missing its next line number.
NEXT without FOR	NEXT was used without a matching FOR.
No DATA	DATASET or DATAREAD was used when no DATA exists.
No fill character	A fill operation expected a single fill character.
No more sprites available	No free sprite slots remain.
No such PROC procedure_name	The named procedure does not exist.
No such array variable 'array_name'	The named array does not exist.
No such integer FN	The named integer function does not exist.
No such integer variable 'variable_name'	The named integer variable does not exist.
No such line line_number	The requested line number does not exist.
No such real FN	The named real function does not exist.
No such real variable 'variable_name'	The named real variable does not exist.
No such string FN	The named string function does not exist.
No such string variable 'variable_name'	The named string variable does not exist.
Not a directory 'path'	The path exists but is not a directory.
Not a directory: 'path'	The path exists but is not a directory.
Not a file: 'path'	The path exists but is not a file.
Not a library file: 'file_path'	The file is not a valid BASIC library file.
Not enough memory for SOUND TONE	There was not enough memory to generate a tone.
Not enough memory for pitch shift	There was not enough memory to adjust pitch.
Not enough memory for sprite canvas 'sprite_name'	There was not enough memory for the sprite canvas.
Not enough memory for sprite mask 'sprite_name'	There was not enough memory for the sprite mask.
Not enough memory for sprite pixels 'sprite_name'	There was not enough memory for the sprite pixel data.
Not enough memory to load library file 'library_file'	There was not enough memory to load the library file.
Not enough memory to load sprite file 'sprite_file'	There was not enough memory to load the sprite file.
Number too long	A numeric constant is too long.
Number too short	A numeric constant ended too early.
Numeric operator on string	A numeric operator was used on a string value.
Numeric value in string expression	A numeric value was used where a string expression was required.
OFF without ON ERROR	ON ERROR OFF was used when no handler was active.
ON ERROR GOTO and ON ERROR GOSUB are deprecated. Use ON ERROR PROC	Older ON ERROR forms are no longer supported.
ON ERROR: No such procedure PROCprocedure_name	The procedure named in ON ERROR PROC does not exist.
ON ERROR: Out of memory	There was not enough memory to install the ON ERROR handler.
OPENIN is a function	OPENIN must be used as a function, not as a statement.
OPENOUT is a function	OPENOUT must be used as a function, not as a statement.
OPENUP is a function	OPENUP must be used as a function, not as a statement.
Out of DATA	A DATAREAD function ran past the available DATA.
Out of STREAMs	No more sound streams are available.
Out of memory	There was not enough memory to complete the operation.
Out of memory for CA cert bundle	There was not enough memory to load the CA certificate bundle.
Out of memory loading audio file 'audio_file'	There was not enough memory to load the audio file.
Out of memory parsing function parameters	There was not enough memory to parse function parameters.
Out of memory parsing functions	There was not enough memory to parse function or procedure definitions.
Out of memory storing DATA	There was not enough memory to store DATA items.
Out of string area allocator space storing 'string_value'	The string allocator ran out of space.
PROC: stack exhausted	The procedure call stack is full.
READ is a function	READ must be used as a function, not as a statement.
REPEAT stack exhausted	Too many nested REPEAT loops are active.
RETURN without GOSUB	RETURN was used without a matching GOSUB.
SOUND PLAY: Invalid pitch offset	The pitch offset for SOUND PLAY is invalid.
SOUND PLAY: Invalid sound handle	The sound handle given to SOUND PLAY is invalid.
SOUND UNLOAD: Invalid sound handle	The sound handle given to SOUND UNLOAD is invalid.
SOUND: No sound driver is loaded	Sound output is unavailable because no driver is loaded.
STREAM: No sound driver is loaded	Sound streams are unavailable because no driver is loaded.
Sprite file too large	The sprite file is too large to load.
Sprite too large: widthxheight	The sprite dimensions exceed the allowed size.
String constant 'string_value' too long	A string constant exceeds the maximum length.
String in numeric expression	A string value was used where a numeric expression was required.
Too many FOR	Too many nested FOR loops are active.
Too many parameters for builtin function	Too many arguments were given to a built-in function.
UDP: Out of memory	There was not enough memory for the UDP operation.
UNTIL without REPEAT	UNTIL was used without a matching REPEAT.
Unary +/- on string	Unary + or - was applied to a string.
Unable to create directory 'directory_path': error_message	The directory could not be created.
Unable to delete directory 'directory_path': error_message	The directory could not be deleted.
Unable to delete file 'file_path': error_message	The file could not be deleted.
Unable to load CA cert bundle from /system/ssl/cacert.pem	The CA certificate bundle could not be loaded.
Unable to load audio file 'audio_file'	The audio file could not be opened or decoded.
Unable to load cert certificate_file: error_message	The certificate file could not be loaded.
Unable to load cert: error_message	The certificate file could not be opened or parsed.
Unable to load key key_file: error_message	The key file could not be loaded.
Unable to load key: error_message	The key file could not be opened or parsed.
Unable to load module 'module_name'	The module could not be loaded.
Unable to open cert: error_message	The certificate file could not be opened.
Unable to open key: error_message	The key file could not be opened.
Unable to open sprite file 'sprite_file'	The sprite file could not be opened.
Unable to unload module 'module_name'	The module could not be unloaded.
Unclosed construct	A block or construct was not properly closed.
Unknown do_itoa error: error_code	Integer-to-string conversion failed with an unexpected internal error.
Unknown keyword	The parser found a keyword it does not recognise.
Unterminated "	A string literal was not closed.
Variable 'variable_name' already exists as non-array type	A scalar variable already exists with that name.
Variable name too long	The variable name exceeds the maximum length.
Video flipping is not set to manual mode	FLIP was used without manual flipping enabled.
WHILE stack exhausted	Too many nested WHILE loops are active.
up_factor: Out of memory!	Internal scaling failed because memory could not be allocated.
up_value_expr: Out of memory!	Expression evaluation failed because memory could not be allocated.

See also: Beginners' Tutorial · ON ERROR