lix/doc/manual/rl-next/distinguish-throw-errors.md
Qyriad 4c7165be86 distinguish between throws & errors during throw
Turns errors like this:

let
  throwMsg = a: throw (a + " invalid bar");
in throwMsg "bullshit"

error:
       … from call site
         at «string»:3:4:
            2|   throwMsg = a: throw (a + " invalid bar");
            3| in throwMsg "bullshit"
             |    ^

       … while calling 'throwMsg'
         at «string»:2:14:
            1| let
            2|   throwMsg = a: throw (a + " invalid bar");
             |              ^
            3| in throwMsg "bullshit"

       … while calling the 'throw' builtin
         at «string»:2:17:
            1| let
            2|   throwMsg = a: throw (a + " invalid bar");
             |                 ^
            3| in throwMsg "bullshit"

       error: bullshit invalid bar

into errors like this:

let
  throwMsg = a: throw (a + " invalid bar");
in throwMsg "bullshit"

error:
       … from call site
         at «string»:3:4:
            2|   throwMsg = a: throw (a + " invalid bar");
            3| in throwMsg "bullshit"
             |    ^

       … while calling 'throwMsg'
         at «string»:2:14:
            1| let
            2|   throwMsg = a: throw (a + " invalid bar");
             |              ^
            3| in throwMsg "bullshit"

       … caused by explicit throw
         at «string»:2:17:
            1| let
            2|   throwMsg = a: throw (a + " invalid bar");
             |                 ^
            3| in throwMsg "bullshit"

       error: bullshit invalid bar

Change-Id: I593688928ece20f97999d1bf03b2b46d9ac338cb
2024-07-04 17:43:03 -06:00

71 lines
2.2 KiB
Markdown

---
synopsis: "Distinguish between explicit throws and errors that happened while evaluating a throw"
cls: 1511
credits: Qyriad
category: Improvements
---
Previously, errors caused by an expression like `throw "invalid argument"` were treated like an error that happened simply while some builtin function was being called:
```
let
throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
in throwMsg "linuz"
error:
… while calling the 'throw' builtin
at «string»:2:17:
1| let
2| throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
| ^
3| in throwMsg "linuz"
error: linuz isn't the right package
```
But the error didn't just happen "while" calling the `throw` builtin — it's a throw error!
Now it looks like this:
```
let
throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
in throwMsg "linuz"
error:
… caused by explicit throw
at «string»:2:17:
1| let
2| throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
| ^
3| in throwMsg "linuz"
error: linuz isn't the right package
```
This also means that incorrect usage of `throw` or errors evaluating its arguments are easily distinguishable from explicit throws:
```
let
throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
in throwMsg { attrs = "error when coerced in string interpolation"; }
error:
… while calling the 'throw' builtin
at «string»:2:17:
1| let
2| throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
| ^
3| in throwMsg { attrs = "error when coerced in string interpolation"; }
… while evaluating a path segment
at «string»:2:24:
1| let
2| throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
| ^
3| in throwMsg { attrs = "error when coerced in string interpolation"; }
error: cannot coerce a set to a string: { attrs = "error when coerced in string interpolation"; }
```
Here, instead of an actual thrown error, a type error happens first (trying to coerce an attribute set to a string), but that type error happened *while* calling `throw`.