Warnings and validation
Sail Design reports several different kinds of feedback. The colour or wording matters less than whether the app still completed the requested operation.
| Feedback | Can you continue? | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Hint or advisory text | Usually. It describes a condition while controls remain usable. | Read the stated condition and decide whether to adjust it. |
| Disabled control | Not with that command yet. | Satisfy its prerequisite or change the setting that locks it. |
| Panel-viewer warning | Yes: generation completed and panels exist. | Inspect the named panels and values before relying on the output. |
| Dismissible error banner | The requested operation failed. | Correct the input, connection, account, or limit problem, then retry. Dismissing the banner only hides it. |
Guidance is not always a blocker
The Design > Rig summary gives a useful example:
- A Luff excess from 0 up to but not including 100 mm shows the advisory “Below 100 mm leaves too little for tackline + pulley.” The dialog still allows editing and closing.
- A negative excess states Luff chord exceeds rig line — design will be rejected. The local preview can still react to edits, but the backend rejects that design when a server-backed operation is attempted.
Similarly, a displayed minimum or maximum on a numeric input is not a universal promise that every typed value is clamped. Some current Layout fields accept a wider finite value and let preview or generation report whether the geometry is possible. See Choose a panel layout for each control's actual handler behaviour.
Disabled controls explain a prerequisite
Common current cases are:
- Panels > View Panels and seven panel-based File export actions stay disabled until flat panels exist. Generate again after a shape, cloth, construction, layout, or fullness change.
- Biradial is disabled at a foot opening of 90° or more; an existing Biradial selection falls back to Tri-radial.
- Maximise foot panels is checked and disabled while Align seams is off.
- With the PCHIP mould algorithm, smoothing is locked on and Foot stretch is disabled. With Cubic plus Foot stretch, smoothing is locked off.
These are state explanations, not failed operations. Follow the linked layout or mould-control guide before trying to override a lock.
Panel warnings do not mean generation failed
If a successful backend response includes non-fatal warnings, the panel viewer shows them above the canvas. Repeated entries are grouped by warning code and message, with a panel count or identifier and the minimum-to-maximum value when available.
The current layout generators normally return an empty warning list, so most successful designs show no warning block. Its absence does not replace visual inspection of the flat panels.
Error banners mean the operation did not complete
Load, save, preview, panel-generation, and export failures appear in a bordered banner over the workspace. The status bar mirrors the latest message. Select the × to dismiss the banner after reading it; the underlying state is not changed or repaired.
For a panel error: message:
- Read the specific backend or network detail in the banner.
- Check that the backend is reachable, then check the reported design field or panel limit.
- Adjust the current design if requested and choose Generate Panels again.
- Confirm that the status reaches panels: N before opening the viewer or exporting.