Wrong error message for wrong index

[yooplo]

Expected: error message to user should be something to do with invalid index

Actual: error message is with the format

To reproduce:
schedule 0 l/NUS st/09-10-2024 09:00 et/09-10-2024 10:00

As show, the format of the command followed is the same as the one given in the UG, (schedule INDEX st/DD-MM-YYYY HH:MM et/DD-MM-YYYY HH:MM l/LOCATION), however the error shown to the user is "Invalid command format". The mistake is actually in the index, so the error should be telling the user of his mistake in the index.

[nus-pe-script]

Team's Response

Thank you for bringing this up. The following message is the entirety of the error message you had received:

Invalid command format! 
schedule: Schedules a meeting with another person from the address book.
Parameters: INDEX (must be a positive integer) l/LOCATION st/START_TIME et/END_TIME Example: schedule 1 l/The Terrace st/09-10-2024 09:00 et/09-10-2024 10:00

As stated in the parameters section of the message in brackets, INDEX must be a positive integer. Zero is not a positive integer. An invalid command format is inclusive of cases where INDEX is not a positive integer.

As such, we will be marking this bug as response.Rejected.

Items for the Tester to Verify

❓ Issue response

Team chose [response.Rejected]

• I disagree

Reason for disagreement: Thank you for clarifying the error message, but while the error message specifies the requirement for a positive INDEX, I feel that this would still qualify as a bug due to issues with clarity and user guidance:

1. The Error Message is Confusing and Overloaded:
   The error message starts with "Invalid command format," which implies that the entire command is malformed, rather than pointing out the specific issue with the INDEX parameter.
   Including the specific INDEX must be a positive integer message in parentheses does not make the issue immediately clear to users because it is nested in an overly generic error message. This can easily be overlooked, especially by fast-typists, who are the target users according to Constraint-Typing-Preferred.
2. Expectation for Specified Feedback:
   When a user inputs a command with an invalid INDEX (e.g., 0), the app should prioritize precise and actionable feedback for that specific error. A clear message such as "Error: INDEX must be a positive integer" would make it obvious what the user needs to fix, rather than including this as part of a more general message.

Furthermore, the information that the INDEX must be positive is not described in the User Guide, only in the error message in which you have provided. This is clearly a flaw in the User Guide and would also be a Documentation Bug.

---