IBM has done this for decades. For many products, especially on the mainframe, every message has a unique identifier, typically with a prefix for the module or subsystem that generated it, a message number, and an action or severity code, such as “I” for information or “E” for error.

A series of Messages and Codes books is supposed to list every message, each with an explanation and suggested user, administrator, or programmer response.

This was more important when messages were practically limited to a single line on a CRT or teletypewriter, and customers had only the printed or microfiche documentation, not online help or websites, but it’s still valuable today.