Error Messages

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Cryptic error messages

Sometimes JOSM displays rather crypting error messages. For instance, JOSM used to display the following message:

• Bad Request Error header: Placeholder node not found for reference -13 in way -12 (Kode=400)

Usually, these are error messages generated by the OSM server. There isn't an exhaustive specification of possible error messages generated by the OSM server and in general JOSM can't know what error messages it has to deal with.

JOSM does it's best to transform cryptic error messages into a more user friendly text (including translation). Please let the the JOSM team know if cryptic and/or untranslated messages show up. The JOSM dev team will then try to transform it into a more user-friendly message.

Error and warning dialogs

Unknown host

When you download data from or upload data to the OSM server JOSM tries to establish a connection with the OSM server. If it can't resolve the host name of the OSM server, it displays the following error message:

How to resolve

• check the URL displayed in the dialog (in the example above it's http://nosuchhost.openstreetmap.org/api)
• make sure your Help/Preferences include a valid URL to the OSM server. The standard URL is http://api.openstreetmap.org/api

Can't initialize OSM API

When you download data from or upload data to the OSM server JOSM tries to establish a connection with the OSM server configured in the preferences. If JOSM can connect to the server but if it detects that the server isn't a supported OSM server it displays the following error message:

How to resolve

• check the URL displayed in the dialog (in the example above it's http://api07.dev.openstreetmap.org/api)
• make sure your Help/Preferences include a valid URL to the OSM server. The standard URL is http://api.openstreetmap.org/api