# FILE(DOWNLOAD....) How to get more informative error messages
**URL:** https://discourse.cmake.org/t/file-download-how-to-get-more-informative-error-messages/11118
**Category:** Usage
**Created:** [June 27, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/file-download-how-to-get-more-informative-error-messages/11118 "2024-06-27T14:59:57Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@imikejackson](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/imikejackson)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2024, 2:59pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/file-download-how-to-get-more-informative-error-messages/11118/1 "2024-06-27T14:59:57Z")
As part of our project we generate a CMake file with these contents:
```auto
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------
cmake_policy(SET CMP0012 NEW)
cmake_policy(SET CMP0054 NEW)
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
# STARTING 6_5_test_data_1.tar.gz
# Download, Decompress, and possibly copy data archive
# message(STATUS "[DATA DOWNLOAD] 6_5_test_data_1.tar.gz")
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
string(TIMESTAMP time_stamp_start %s)
file(DOWNLOAD https://github.com/bluequartzsoftware/simplnx/releases/download/Data_Archive/6_5_test_data_1.tar.gz
"/Users/mjackson/Workspace1/DREAM3DNX/../DREAM3D_Data/TestFiles/6_5_test_data_1.tar.gz"
EXPECTED_HASH SHA512=6e21118a882c6a0cc54341eec8928b89ee84ac3a41b1d5b534193f4fabcb49c363db22028055622ad777787be0163cf5525e6c548c11c2c369748feb23031651
# SHOW_PROGRESS
STATUS result
)
string(TIMESTAMP time_stamp_end %s)
list(GET result 1 status)
string(REPLACE "\"" "" status "${status}")
if("${status}" STREQUAL "No error")
math(EXPR time_diff "${time_stamp_end} - ${time_stamp_start}" OUTPUT_FORMAT DECIMAL) # value is set to "1000"
file(SIZE "/Users/mjackson/Workspace1/DREAM3DNX/../DREAM3D_Data/TestFiles/6_5_test_data_1.tar.gz" file_size)
if(NOT "${time_diff}" STREQUAL "0")
math(EXPR bandwidth "${file_size} / ${time_diff}" OUTPUT_FORMAT DECIMAL) # value is set to "1000"
message(STATUS "6_5_test_data_1.tar.gz Download Complete: ${bandwidth} bytes/sec")
else()
message(STATUS "6_5_test_data_1.tar.gz Download Complete")
endif()
endif()
```
which is basically repeated for about 50 other files. The issue is that when there is an error we get the following output during the build:
```auto
CMake Error at simplnx_fetch_remote_files.cmake:149 (file):
file DOWNLOAD cannot compute hash on failed download
status: [28;"Timeout was reached"]
```
which is sort of helpful. Obviously, I can go into the file and look at that line number and then get which file was the issue. But if this is on a CI machine, I don’t have the luxury. Is there any way to entice the “FILE” command to give a more detailed error message? We are on CMake 3.26.x currently.
Looking at the docs for the “FILE(DOWNLOAD…)” command I see a “LOG” option… except that I can’t even print what gets stored in that variable because CMake errors out before the next line of code is executed (Which would be my message(STATUS “”) line).
I guess I could use “SHOW\_PROGRESS” but that is going to get awful messy with that number of files.
I could also do at `message(STATUS "Download Started"..)` but this is also starting to print a lot of output when it isn’t needed in most cases.
What I’m asking is how to get CMake to print an error like:
```auto
CMake Error at simplnx_fetch_remote_files.cmake:149 (file):
file DOWNLOAD cannot compute hash on failed download
URL: https://github.com/bluequartzsoftware/simplnx/releases/download/Data_Archive/6_5_test_data_1.tar.gz
Result: time out
```
Thoughts?
---
### Author:  [@jtxa](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/jtxa)
#### Post date: [June 27, 2024, 10:04pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/file-download-how-to-get-more-informative-error-messages/11118/2 "2024-06-27T22:04:50Z")
Try a newer CMake. Even for v3.25 the error message looks like this:
```auto
CMake Error at down.cmake:1 (file):
file DOWNLOAD HASH mismatch
for file: [ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso]
expected hash: [123]
actual hash: [a782772aab97d3ca46cd5e0cae9c3de9054a7779a1daaa2511557a36b2fbe840a7d15cec5057947ac076d4fca8a1f6aa0347a342c0c6ffffc078023e3a2aee13]
status: [28;"Timeout was reached"]
```
Although I would have expected the command does not error out, if a `STATUS` variable is used.
---
### Author:  [@imikejackson](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/imikejackson)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2024, 3:20pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/file-download-how-to-get-more-informative-error-messages/11118/3 "2024-07-01T15:20:05Z")
We are using CMake 3.26.x for the configuration. Maybe I’m just not using the FILE(DOWNLOAD …) command correctly?
---
### Author:  [@jtxa](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/jtxa)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2024, 7:42pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/file-download-how-to-get-more-informative-error-messages/11118/4 "2024-07-01T19:42:23Z")
I have no experience with `file(DOWNLOAD)` myself. But this is the script I executed with `cmake -P`:
```auto
file(DOWNLOAD
"https://releases.ubuntu.com/24.04/ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso"
"ubuntu-24.04-desktop-amd64.iso"
TIMEOUT 1
EXPECTED_HASH SHA512=123
STATUS status
)
message(STATUS ${status})
```
I just used a big file with a very small `TIMEOUT` value to force the error message.
Without the `TIMEOUT` option, I don’t know why you get this error message at all.
---
### Author:  [@jtxa](https://discourse.cmake.org/u/jtxa)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2024, 10:07pm UTC](https://discourse.cmake.org/t/file-download-how-to-get-more-informative-error-messages/11118/5 "2024-07-01T22:07:37Z")
Looking at the source code, this was changed in CMake v3.26 in [MR7888](https://gitlab.kitware.com/cmake/cmake/-/merge_requests/7888).
That MR looks valid, as it is useless to check the hash on an incomplete download.
I guess it makes sense, to print the URL for every `file(DOWNLOAD)` or `file(UPLOAD)` connection related error. And maybe the filename for every file related error. Or simply both.
You should consider creating a MR, and/or an issue to clarify the matter with the maintainers.