Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/c/modules/ParsePetscOptionsx/ParsePetscOptionsx.cpp
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/c/modules/ParsePetscOptionsx/ParsePetscOptionsx.cpp	(revision 11922)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/c/modules/ParsePetscOptionsx/ParsePetscOptionsx.cpp	(revision 11923)
@@ -102,4 +102,7 @@
 	for(i=0;i<numanalyses;i++){
 		char* string=strings[i];
+		if(my_rank==0){
+			if(string==NULL) _error_("PETSc options for analysis %s have been declared but were not found",EnumToStringx(analyses[i]));
+		}
 		if(my_rank==0)stringlength=(strlen(string)+1)*sizeof(char);
 		MPI_Bcast(&stringlength,1,MPI_INT,0,MPI_COMM_WORLD);