Our Midea AC is flashing an error code (an E, F or P code) and online lists don't agree, how do we read it properly?

You've hit the exact trap with Midea, the codes are grouped logically but the SAME code isn't universal across their range, so a generic list often won't match your unit. The grouping is: E-codes are usually indoor-side, a sensor or a communication fault; F-codes are usually outdoor-unit sensors; and P-codes are protection codes, the compressor and pressure side, which are the serious ones. But whether an E-code is, say, a room sensor or a communication error depends on whether it's a portable, a window unit or a split, so the only reliable read is your model's own Midea manual (Midea also publishes an official error-code portal). Practically: sensor and drain-type codes are sometimes a reset-or-check job, but anything in the P/compressor/pressure family means stop and get a technician, that's the unit protecting itself. Midea's own guidance is to power-cycle once and wait; if a protection code comes back, call for service. So match the exact code to your Midea manual, and if it's a P-code or it keeps returning, book 24 hour AC repair in Dubai rather than resetting on a loop. (The groupings and meanings here are from Midea's own manuals and error-code portal.)