Types of Messages
The conventions for messages generated by PAMS are listed below. Symbols used as part of these conventions are designed to convey system messages consistently and to provide you with a richer user experience.
Symbol | Denotes |
 | Critical Error. This kind of error must be corrected for the system to save your data. If one or more errors of this kind appear on the page and are not corrected, the system will not save the data entered after the last successful save. Example: Entering “two” in a field where “2” is called for produces a Critical Error. |
 | Regular Error. This kind of error will let you save the information entered. However, if one or more errors of this kind appear on a page and are not corrected, the system will not change the status of the page to “Completed.” If these errors occur while updating the budget sheet on a proposal, for instance, the budget sheet will not be marked as complete and you will not be able to submit the proposal. Example: Entering no information in a field where data entry is required may produce a Regular Error. |
 | Exception. This symbol denotes either a discrepancy or inconsistency in the information entered. Such errors must be corrected or justified. |
 | Information. This symbol designates a note containing important information regarding your document or report. |
 | Success Message. This symbol appears when a particular process has been executed successfully, such as when information is saved or submitted.. |
Using Search Fields
Some search fields have a search requirement similar to the following:
Institution Name like: Enter the Institution Name or at least a part of it.
The word like, as used here, means that if you are uncertain of the exact name of the institution (or whatever you are searching for), you can enter a part of the name of the institution you are searching for. For example, if you know that “Water” is part of the institution name (as in Waterfield Company or Waterman University), enter “water” in the search field and click Search. The system searches for and pulls up all institutions with “water” as part of the institution name.
This search method also works for numbers if like is a search option. For example, if you know that part of a solicitation number includes “FOA,” enter “FOA” only in the search field and click Search.
