languagetool-org/languagetool · error · RuntimeException

'triggers_error' is not supported for bitext XML

Error message

'triggers_error' is not supported for bitext XML

What it means

BitextPatternRuleHandler.setExample throws this RuntimeException when a bitext (bilingual) rule XML contains a 'triggers_error' example element. The error-trigger example feature is only supported for monolingual pattern rules; the bitext loader cannot represent it, so parsing fails. Remove the element or move the rule to a monolingual grammar file.

Source

Thrown at languagetool-core/src/main/java/org/languagetool/rules/patterns/bitext/BitextPatternRuleHandler.java:158

  }

  private IncorrectExample setExample() {
    IncorrectExample example = null;
    if (inCorrectExample) {
      example = new IncorrectExample(correctExample.toString());
    } else if (inIncorrectExample) {
      if (exampleCorrection != null) {
        List<String> corrections = new ArrayList<>(Arrays.asList(exampleCorrection.toString().split("\\|")));
        if (exampleCorrection.toString().endsWith("|")) {  // suggestions plus an empty suggestion (split() will ignore trailing empty items)
          corrections.add("");
        }
        example = new IncorrectExample(incorrectExample.toString(), corrections);
      } else {
        example = new IncorrectExample(incorrectExample.toString());
      }
    } else if (inErrorTriggerExample) {
      throw new RuntimeException("'triggers_error' is not supported for bitext XML");
    }
    correctExample = new StringBuilder();
    incorrectExample = new StringBuilder();
    exampleCorrection = null;
    return example;
  }

  private PatternRule finalizeRule() {
    PatternRule rule = null;
    if (phrasePatternTokens.isEmpty()) {
      rule = new PatternRule(id, language, patternTokens,
          name, "", shortMessage.toString());
      prepareRule(rule);
    } else {
      if (!patternTokens.isEmpty()) {
        for (List<PatternToken> ph : phrasePatternTokens) {
          ph.addAll(new ArrayList<>(patternTokens));
        }

View on GitHub (pinned to 2e990059ce)

Solutions

1. Remove the <triggers_error> element (and its content) from the bitext rule XML
2. If the trigger test is needed, move that rule into a monolingual grammar XML where triggers_error is supported
3. Update any rule-authoring templates/linters to reject triggers_error in bitext files

Example fix

// before (bitext XML)
<example>Incorrect sentence<triggers_error>word</triggers_error></example>
// after
<example>Incorrect sentence</example>

// Reject triggers_error in bitext rule files before loading
if (isBitextRuleFile(file)) {
  String xml = new String(Files.readAllBytes(file.toPath()), StandardCharsets.UTF_8);
  if (xml.contains("triggers_error")) {
    throw new IllegalArgumentException("triggers_error is not allowed in bitext XML: " + file);
  }
}

try {
  BitextPatternRuleLoader.getBitextRules(...);
} catch (RuntimeException e) {
  if (e.getMessage().contains("triggers_error")) {
    log.error("Remove triggers_error from bitext rule XML", e);
  } else throw e;
}

When it happens

Trigger: A bitext rules XML file includes <triggers_error>...</triggers_error> inside an <example> section; setExample hits inErrorTriggerExample while processing endElement and throws.

Common situations: Copying example blocks from monolingual rule XML into bitext rule files; automated rule conversion producing unsupported example types; template misuse.

Understand the failure class

Background: UnsupportedOperationException and "is not supported" errors: when a library deliberately refuses a call — this error's family across 30 libraries.

Related errors

• Your reference number ${refNumber} is bigger than number of
• Duplicate key '${key}'
• References cannot be empty: Line: ${pLocator.getLineNumber
• References must be larger than 0: ${attrs.getValue("no")} L
• Only backward references in match elements are possible, tri

AI-assisted analysis of languagetool-org/languagetool@2e990059ce (2026-09-06). Data as JSON: /api/errors/4671c44116fa81d1. Report an issue: GitHub.