Latest ZPatterns release. Zope 2.2b4. If I raise an error in an external method that is called by a GenericTrigger, I sometimes get a strange log message: 2000-07-12T15:20:07 ERROR(200) ZODB Couldn't load state for '\000\000\000\000\000\000\021=' Traceback (innermost last): File .../lib/python/ZODB/Connection.py, line 441, in setstate File .../lib/python/ZODB/FileStorage.py, line 584, in load (Object: .../var/Data.fs) File .../lib/python/ZODB/FileStorage.py, line 560, in _load (Object: .../var/Data.fs) KeyError: p= (Repeated four further times.) (I replaced the path to my zope installation with "...".) Sometimes, the characters after the "KeyError:" will be control characters, and will cause further log output to look like gibberish, until I suspend the Zope process and type "reset" at the xterm console. I'm not sure why this happens. I've had another similar log message from the same sort of cause: 2000-07-12T14:44:01 PANIC(300) ZODB A storage error occurred in the last phase of a two-phase commit. This shouldn't happen. The application may be in a hosed state, so we will not allow transactions to commit from here on Traceback (innermost last): File .../lib/python/ZODB/Transaction.py, line 296, in commit File .../lib/python/Products/ZPatterns/Transactions.py, line 108, in tpc_finish File .../lib/python/Products/ZPatterns/Transactions.py, line 135, in end_tran File .../lib/python/Products/ZPatterns/DataManagers.py, line 118, in _cleanup (Object: Transactional) File .../lib/python/ZODB/Connection.py, line 441, in setstate File .../lib/python/ZODB/FileStorage.py, line 584, in load (Object: .../var/Data.fs) File .../lib/python/ZODB/FileStorage.py, line 560, in _load (Object: .../var/Data.fs) KeyError: p I guess the methods that GenericTriggers call aren't supposed to throw exceptions. However, as a safeguard, how about changing the _checkpoint() method of Agents.Agent to this: def _checkpoint(self): # Send 'final' versions of events try: for s,c,m in self._v_tranlog.values(): try: if s is ChangedStatus: self._objectChanged(c,m) elif s is AddedStatus: self._objectAdded(c) else: self._objectDeleted(c,m) except: import sys, traceback, string type, val, tb = sys.exc_info() sys.stderr.write(string.join( \ traceback.format_exception(type, val, tb),'')) del type, val, tb finally: self._v_tranlog.clear() I've put the call to each Agent's "change observed" event in a try-except block. This makes my Zope instance happier when I do stupid things in external methods, and has the additional advantage of insulating other Agents from one particular Agent's problems. -- Steve Alexander Software Engineer Cat-Box limited http://www.cat-box.net