diff --git a/include/fc/error_report.hpp b/include/fc/error_report.hpp
index 9d59e4e..cd91a61 100644
--- a/include/fc/error_report.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/error_report.hpp
@@ -19,6 +19,9 @@ namespace fc {
          error_frame& operator=(const error_frame& );
          error_frame& operator=(error_frame&& );
 
+         fc::string    to_string()const;
+         fc::string    to_detail_string()const;
+
          fc::string                  desc;
          fc::string                  file;
          int64_t                     line;
@@ -43,6 +46,8 @@ namespace fc {
          error_report& push_frame( const fc::string& file, uint64_t line, const fc::string& method, const fc::string& desc, fc::value meta = fc::value() );
          error_report& append( const error_report& e );
 
+         fc::string    to_string()const;
+         fc::string    to_detail_string()const;
          error_context stack;    ///< Human readable stack of what we were atempting to do.
    };
 
diff --git a/include/fc/string.hpp b/include/fc/string.hpp
index 04a613b..370bb40 100644
--- a/include/fc/string.hpp
+++ b/include/fc/string.hpp
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ namespace fc {
       friend string operator + ( const string&, const string&  );
       friend string operator + ( const string&, char c );
 
-      fc::string substr( int32_t start, int32_t len = 0x7fffffff );
+      fc::string substr( int32_t start, int32_t len = 0x7fffffff )const;
     
     private:
        fc::fwd<std::string,32> my;
diff --git a/src/error_report.cpp b/src/error_report.cpp
index 44a78c7..7df1b09 100644
--- a/src/error_report.cpp
+++ b/src/error_report.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 #include <fc/error_report.hpp>
 #include <fc/filesystem.hpp>
+#include <fc/sstream.hpp>
+#include <fc/value.hpp>
+#include <fc/json.hpp>
 namespace fc {
 
 error_frame::error_frame( const fc::string& f, uint64_t l, const fc::string& m, const fc::string& d, fc::value met )
@@ -70,4 +73,69 @@ fc::error_report&         error_report::append( const error_report& e )
    return *this;
 }
 
+fc::string error_frame::to_detail_string()const {
+    fc::stringstream ss;
+    ss << to_string() << "\n\t";
+    ss << file << ":" << line << "\t"<<method;
+    if( meta ) ss << "\t" <<fc::json::to_string(*meta);
+    return ss.str();
+}
+fc::string error_frame::to_string()const {
+    fc::stringstream ss;
+    int64_t prev = 0;
+    auto next = desc.find( '$' );
+    while( prev != int64_t(fc::string::npos) && prev < int64_t(desc.size()) ) {
+      // print everything from the last pos until the first '$'
+      ss << desc.substr( prev, next );
+
+      // if we got to the end, return it.
+      if( next == string::npos ) { return ss.str(); }
+
+      // if we are not at the end, then update the start
+      prev = next + 1;
+
+      if( desc[prev] == '{' ) { 
+         // if the next char is a open, then find close
+          next = desc.find( '}', prev );
+          // if we found close... 
+          if( next != fc::string::npos ) {
+            // the key is between prev and next
+            fc::string key = desc.substr( prev+1, (next-prev-1) );
+            if( meta ) {
+                auto itr = meta->find( key.c_str() );
+                if( itr != meta->end() ) {
+                   ss << fc::json::to_string( itr->val );
+                } else {
+                   ss << "???";
+                }
+            }
+            prev = next + 1;
+            // find the next $
+            next = desc.find( '$', prev );
+          } else {
+            // we didn't find it.. continue to while...
+          }
+      } else  {
+         ss << desc[prev];
+         ++prev;
+         next = desc.find( '$', prev );
+      }
+    }
+    return ss.str();
+}
+fc::string error_report::to_string()const {
+  fc::stringstream ss;
+  for( int i = 0; i < stack.size(); ++i ) {
+    ss << stack[i].to_string() << "\n";
+  }
+  return ss.str();
+}
+fc::string error_report::to_detail_string()const {
+  fc::stringstream ss;
+  for( int i = 0; i < stack.size(); ++i ) {
+    ss << stack[i].to_detail_string() << "\n";
+  }
+  return ss.str();
+}
+
 } // namespace fc
diff --git a/src/json.cpp b/src/json.cpp
index 895d743..9eeafeb 100644
--- a/src/json.cpp
+++ b/src/json.cpp
@@ -919,12 +919,11 @@ fc::string pretty_print( fc::vector<char>&& v, uint8_t indent ) {
 
   value from_file( const fc::path& local_path ) {
     if( !exists(local_path) ) {
-       slog("...");
-      FC_THROW_REPORT( "Source file '${filename}' does not exist", value().set("filename",local_path.string()) );
+      FC_THROW_REPORT( "Source file ${filename} does not exist", value().set("filename",local_path.string()) );
     }
     if( is_directory( local_path ) ) {
-       wlog("...");
-      FC_THROW_MSG( "Source path '%s' is a directory, expected a file.", local_path.string() );
+      FC_THROW_REPORT( "Source path ${path} is a directory; a file was expected", 
+                       value().set("path",local_path.string()) );
     }
 
     // memory map the file
diff --git a/src/string.cpp b/src/string.cpp
index 5839e69..203e2c2 100644
--- a/src/string.cpp
+++ b/src/string.cpp
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ namespace fc  {
   void       string::clear()                       { my->clear(); }
   void       string::resize( uint64_t s )          { my->resize(s); }
                                             
-  fc::string string::substr( int32_t start, int32_t len ) { return my->substr(start,len); }
+  fc::string string::substr( int32_t start, int32_t len )const { return my->substr(start,len); }
   const char* string::c_str()const                        { return my->c_str(); }
 
   bool    string::operator == ( const char* s )const   { return *my == s; }