Index: src/hg/encode/encodeValidate/doEncodeValidate.pl
===================================================================
RCS file: /projects/compbio/cvsroot/kent/src/hg/encode/encodeValidate/doEncodeValidate.pl,v
retrieving revision 1.209
retrieving revision 1.210
diff -b -B -U 4 -r1.209 -r1.210
--- src/hg/encode/encodeValidate/doEncodeValidate.pl	17 Dec 2009 18:16:49 -0000	1.209
+++ src/hg/encode/encodeValidate/doEncodeValidate.pl	22 Dec 2009 17:43:28 -0000	1.210
@@ -1324,8 +1324,9 @@
 # Open dataset descriptor file (DDF)
 my @glob = glob "*.DDF";
 push(@glob, glob "*.ddf");
 my $ddfFile = Encode::newestFile(@glob);
+die "ERROR: Can't find DDF file\n" unless -e $ddfFile;
 my $ddfFileTime = (stat($ddfFile))->ctime;
 my ($sec,$min,$hour,$mday,$mon,$year,$wday,$yday,$isdst) = gmtime($ddfFileTime);
 
 HgAutomate::verbose(2, "Using newest DDF file \'$ddfFile\'\n");

