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I prefer error messages (warnings) which can be customised by administrator of application.
For exceptions, I prefer to give a general error message and send detailed error message to me by mail.
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In the nineties I worked on code that the standard error was something like
"HAL2000 Error"
For those of you to young to remember HAL 2000 was the computer in 2001 a Space Odyssey
djj
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...when I was writing Pascal code, we had an error message for every error. We also had one for when an error as generated for which we didn't have a defined error message. In the final phases of development, we went through and made sure there were no references to this error message - or so we thought.
A couple of weeks after we released the code, we got a call from a cutomer, asking what the following meant:
"Shut 'er down Scotty - the system's suckin' mud!"
That same app had a Tip-of-the-Day file that contained tips like
"Don't run with scissors"
"Never play leapfrog with a unicorn"
"Don't trust anyone named after a city"
"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
-----
"...the staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - Jason Jystad, 10/26/2001
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We've been goofy a time or two during development like that and forget to take 'em out before release. I don't remember getting any calls but we noticed it while working on the next release. Needless to say, a new revision was put together rather quickly and quietly released before someone came across that error message.
Ours were usually inside jokes.
John Simmons / outlaw programmer wrote: "Shut 'er down Scotty - the system's suckin' mud!"
yours is definitely a keeper 
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There's a good section in Alan Coopers "About Face" which discusses errors presented to the user and how to go about dealing errors.
We made the buttons on the screen look so good you'll want to lick them. Steve Jobs
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'nuff said. I am infallible therefore my code is as well. Also I don't subject my code to the torture we all know as users.
Matt Newman
Even the very best tools in the hands of an idiot will produce something of little or no value. - Chris Meech on Idiots
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Lucky you! Right now I am about to call one of my users, he just left me a message complaining about my coding. But it is all tested and fine, of course! 
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A program that's declared fool-proof just hasn't discovered a foolish enough fool.
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LOL wouldnt that be nice
Pablo
Sometimes I think there's no reason to get out of bed . . . then I feel wet, and I realize there is.
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catch (Exception e)
{
MessageBox.Show(e.Message + "\n\n" + e.StackTrace, "Error", MessageBoxButtons.OK, MessageBoxIcon.Exclamation);
}
but only sometimes
modified 12-Sep-18 21:01pm.
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Here's a handy all-purpose error message that can be used in all situations!
A message box with the following :-
Title : What the deuce did you do???
Message : Damnit! Look what you've done now. This app was working perfectly all this while, and you, yes you mister, you messed it up! It's all your blasted fault! Wait till you hear from our lawyers - oh yes, you sir, are in a lot of trouble.
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A man after my own heart!
User-friendly indeed. If we designed for user-lethal more often, we'd improve the species.
Software Zen: delete this;
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wow, you're pretty nice.
I like the ol' "now you see me, now you don't" no explanation given method of exception handling... like wth did that window just go?
If all they're going to do is break it, may as well take it away (teach them to play nicely or not at all... like good little kiddo's).
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Is this presented with a Stewie bobble-head splash screen?
Dave Jellison
Application Software Developer
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codehacker38 wrote: Is this presented with a Stewie bobble-head splash screen?
No, that'd be the messagebox that says "Let's have a sexy party!"
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If the error represents a condition the user can correct, then I tell them about it. The message usually has enough detail to correct the error. If not, the help text for the message includes a detailed explanation and recommended course(s) of action.
Program errors aren't included in this approach. As the UI guy on our products, I throw tantrums regularly about this sort of thing; we shouldn't air our dirty laundry in public. Unfortunately, with a product made up of several user applications, a number of services, and a bunch of hardware from several third parties, we end up with a lot of dirty laundry. A great deal of my code, and that of my coworkers, is spent on insulating the customer from and compensating for the inherent ugliness of integrating all this stuff.
When we're forced to, we identify program errors as "an internal error", with a recommendation for the customer to contact their support representative. Yes, we do provide 24/7/365 phone support. Usually there is enough information in the message that can be provided to the support person for them to help the customer resolve the problem. If not, the support folks know the procedure to get detailed information for engineering to help out. Our software includes a logging facility that can be run by the customer with a single click to accumulate data we need to debug a problem.
Software Zen: delete this;
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I send all errors to a log but for the most part I do not inform the users unless it is a critical error that would cause total destruction their system or data ... 
John
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Simple explanations for error messages. The user probably won't read the message anyway, so providing lots of detail won't really help much.
Logging is the way to go for capturing all the details about errors. I have a page in the options called "Troubleshooting" that zips up the log file so the user can email it to us with a support request.
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All my errors goto a log too. This option wasn't there so I didn't vote.
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1. errMsg = Guid.NewGuid
2. enum + email to customers!
very public enum ERRORCODES {
NOTMAKINGSENSE = 0,
NOTCAUSE = 10,
DONOTINVESTIGATE = 20,
FIRSTPAYYOURSUBSCRIPTION = 30
...
}
Norman Fung
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Because my program works perfectly and my users use the programs perfectly.
NOT!
Marc
Thyme In The CountryPeople are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh Smith
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Wow who are your users? 
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balazs zoltan wrote: Wow who are your users?
Include but are not limited to all the professionals in the adult entertainment industry.
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The author of the software.
Best,
Jun
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Yea whats their names?? both of them...
Everyone everywhere did one thing right at least once...or not
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