1. Remember that timing errors between browser and server can cause a lot of exceptions to be thrown, typically the really weird ones. Don't dig too far into a traceback until you've confirmed that it is repeatable in FireFox &/or Chrome &/or Explorer.

2. Read the traceback from bottom to top. The last two or three lines are all you need to know in most cases.

3. Get a general understanding of how Python generates exception messages in the first place: http://docs.python.org/2/tutorial/errors.html

4. Get to know the standard Python exceptions and their meanings. http://docs.python.org/2/library/exceptions.html#bltin-exceptions

5. Get to know the standard OpenERP exceptions and their meanings. http://bazaar.launchpad.net/~openerp/openobject-server/7.0/view/head:/openerp/exceptions.py

6. Learn to recognize OpenERP directory names. When you see them in a traceback, especially the ones near the bottom of the traceback, they'll help you get an idea of the general circumstances of the exception.

7. Usually, tracebacks pinpoint the exact line of an exception with perfect accuracy. Cut'n paste the directory and file name of the last line in the traceback into the {File} >> {Open} dialog of your favorite editor, then go to the indicated line. Study the meaning of the exception. Is it a Python standard exception? Is it an OpenERP standard exception? Did the module developer invent his own? Read the docs of the exception. Try to get an idea of what the code was trying to do. Often an exception is thrown within an if statement; understand what the if condition condition was. For example if (idx > max) : could throw a LookupError. What was being indexed? What was the maximum expected?

8. Repeat the preceding for the next line up in the traceback. That'll show you the place from which the problem function was called, and will help a lot with getting an idea of what the code was trying to do. For one reason or another it passed garbage to the function that threw the error. Why did it do it?

Don't be afraid of code! Check out this Q & A. https://accounts.openerp.com/forum/Help-1/question/8344?answer=8380#post-id-8380. As you can see AttributeError: 'NoneType' object has no attribute 'search' is just a really unfriendly way of describing a really simple fault.

If you do ask for help, have mercy on the community, DO format the traceback properly. This . . .

Client Traceback (most recent call last):

File "/var/packages/OpenERP6.1/target/openerp/addons/web/common/http.py", 
  line 180, in dispatch response["result"] = method(controller, self, **self.params)

File "/var/packages/OpenERP6.1/target/openerp/addons/web/controllers/main.py",
  line 316, in translations for x in po:

File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/messages/catalog.py", 
  line 522, in __iter__ 

File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/messages/catalog.py", 
  line 302, in _get_mime_headers

File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/dates.py", 
  line 501, in format_datetime

File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/core.py", 
  line 212, in parse

File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/core.py",
  line 137, in __init__ UnknownLocaleError: unknown locale 'en'

. . . is a hell of a lot easier to read than this . . .

Client Traceback (most recent call last): File "/var/packages/OpenERP6.1/target/openerp/addons/web/common/http.py", line 180, in dispatch response["result"] = method(controller, self, **self.params) File "/var/packages/OpenERP6.1/target/openerp/addons/web/controllers/main.py", line 316, in translations for x in po: File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/messages/catalog.py", line 522, in __iter__ File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/messages/catalog.py", line 302, in _get_mime_headers File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/dates.py", line 501, in format_datetime File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/core.py", line 212, in parse File "/volume1/@appstore/Python/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/babel/core.py", line 137, in __init__ UnknownLocaleError: unknown locale 'en'