ANY-maze Help > The ANY-maze reference > The Protocol page > The elements of a protocol > Testing > Procedures > Writing a procedure using the procedure editor > Errors and warnings while writing a procedure > Error: The zone passed to the variable/event is not valid

Error: The zone passed to the variable/event is not valid

Description

This error is displayed in the list of errors and warnings at the bottom of the procedure editor if the zone used as a parameter to a variable or an event is not a valid zone.

More information

Within ANY-maze, a zone has various settings which may affect how it can be used and analysed. The zone can be movable, or it can be a hidden zone. You can also set up the zone to be an investigation zone, in which case ANY-maze is only interested in the animal actually investigating the zone's border, rather than looking at zone entries and exits.

These different types of zone mean that some of the variables and events available to a procedure will only work with zones that have been set up in a certain way. If you try and use a zone that won't work in that situation, you will get this error.

  

This error applies to the following events:

Animal starts investigating zoneThis event only applies to Investigation zones.
Animal stops investigating zoneThis event only applies to Investigation zones.
Animal becomes oriented towards zoneThis event only applies to zones which are not hidden zones - because the zone is hidden, ANY-maze does not know where the zone is and so cannot determine the animal's orientation relative to the zone.
Animal becomes oriented away from zoneThis event only applies to zones which are not hidden zones - because the zone is hidden, ANY-maze does not know where the zone is and so cannot determine the animal's orientation relative to the zone.

This error applies to the following built-in variables:

Animal is in zoneThis variable can only be used with zones which are not Investigation zones.
Number of visits to zoneThis variable can only be used with zones which are not Investigation zones.
Animal is investigating zoneThis variable can only be used with Investigation zones.
Number of investigations of zoneThis variable can only be used with Investigation zones.
Animal is oriented towards zoneThis variable cannot be used with hidden zones - because the zone is hidden, ANY-maze does not know where the zone is and so cannot determine the animal's orientation relative to the zone.
Location of zoneThis variable can only be used with movable zones.

See also:

 •Errors and warnings while writing a procedure 
 •Errors and warnings while running a procedure 
 •Events available to procedures 
 •Built-in variables  

© Copyright 2003-2026 Stoelting Co. All rights reserved

ANY-maze help topic T0513