How to make Error List show up when the query completed with errors?

[Thenrich]

I want the Error List pane to get focus when the query completed with errors so that I know what the errors were and fix rigth away. Is there a way to do this? Even the Output pane doesn't get focus when there are errors. One of them needs to show up as the default and I prefer the Error List pane.

[alexa]

There is no such a possibility. You can only make the 'Error List' docked or auto hidden.

[Thenrich]

I don't understand the rationale for not showing the errors when there are errors. The first thing people want to do is fix errors.

Even when I have the document floated, the Output pane still gets the initial focus when there are errors. This means I gained nothing by floating it. It's still the same behaviour. If I can float the error list by itself, I can live with this.

I consider this a bug and not a preference where I have to put it in uservoice. Things in uservoice might take forever to get implemented.

Visual Studio and SSMS show the errors when there are errors. This seems to me the correct logic behaviour.

[alexa]

Thank you for the reply.

In fact, when the query is completed with error, the Error List window comes up with the error in case the Error List window is in Auto Hide mode. If it's set as Dock, the error will appear in the Error List window.

The Error List window can be invoked by selecting 'View -> Error List' from the main menu.

If that's not what you were looking for, could you please describe it in more detail?

[Thenrich]

This whole behavior is odd.

If I choose autohide, now autohide option is disabled. I am expecting it to be able to select it/unselect it.

The output keeps having the focus. sometimes the error list shows for a second then switches back to output pane.
Also it depends where the mouse pointer is. If it's in the text area, the panes are hidden. If it's on the error list, the list stays open.

I still do not know how to get the error list to open and have focus.

[alexa]

You can click the 'Dock' icon in the top right corner of the 'Error List' window and it will be always on top.

Also, you can open this window manually with the "Ctrl+\, E" combination. This combination can be changed in the 'Environment -> Keyboard' section of the 'Options' window (select 'Tools -> Options...' from the main menu).