Method and apparatus for linking compiler error messages to relevant information

A method of directing a program to display information relevant to at least a first portion of an error message selected by a user, the method comprising:

• generating link information responsive to the error message, the link information comprising at least one location of information relevant to the error message;
• dividing the error message into at least one second portion;
• associating at least one of the second portions of the divided error message with the link information generated;
• accepting input from a user to designate at least one of the second portions of the divided error message;
• and
• sending the program the location of the relevant information associated with the second portion of the error message designated.

A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for directing a program to display information relevant to at least a first portion of at least one error message selected by a user, the computer program product comprising:

• computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to generate link information responsive to the at least one error message, the link information comprising at least one location of information relevant to the error message;
• computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to divide at least one of the error messages into at least one second portion;
• computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to associate at least one second portion of the divided error message with at least a portion of the link information generated;
• computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to accept input from a user to designate at least one of the second portions of the divided error messages;
• and
• computer readable program code devices configured to cause the computer to send the program the location of the relevant information associated with the second portion of the error message designated.

A computer implemented method for generating a hyperlinked error message from a text error message output from a compiler, comprising:

• receiving the text error message;
• identifying error location information in the received text error message;
• generating a hypertext link to an error location in a source code file corresponding to the error location information;
• and
• replacing the error location information with the hypertext link.