Clojure

better error message when passing non-seq to seq

Details

  • Type: Enhancement Enhancement
  • Status: Open Open
  • Priority: Minor Minor
  • Resolution: Unresolved
  • Affects Version/s: None
  • Fix Version/s: Release 1.6
  • Component/s: None
  • Labels:
    None
  • Patch:
    Code
  • Approval:
    Ok

Description

Design discussion here.

This patch improves Clojure's error message for a single common error: passing a non-seq where a seq is neede. More importantly, it is intended as a prototype for other similar improvements in the future.

Error message before:

(cons 1 2)
=> IllegalArgumentException Don't know how to create ISeq from: java.lang.Long

Error message after:

user=> (cons 1 2)
ExceptionInfo Don't know how to create ISeq from: java.lang.Long
user=> (ex-data *e)
{:instance 2}

Activity

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Stuart Halloway made changes -
Field Original Value New Value
Description This patch improves Clojure's error message for a single common error: passing a non-seq where a seq is neede. More importantly, it is intended as a prototype for other similar improvements in the future.

Error message before:

{noformat}
(cons 1 2)
=> IllegalArgumentException Don't know how to create ISeq from: java.lang.Long
{noformat}

Error message after:

{noformat}
user=> (cons 1 2)
ExceptionInfo Don't know how to create ISeq from: java.lang.Long
user=> (ex-data *e)
{:instance 2}
{noformat} 		Design discussion [here|http://dev.clojure.org/display/design/Better+Error+Messages].

This patch improves Clojure's error message for a single common error: passing a non-seq where a seq is neede. More importantly, it is intended as a prototype for other similar improvements in the future.

Error message before:

{noformat}
(cons 1 2)
=> IllegalArgumentException Don't know how to create ISeq from: java.lang.Long
{noformat}

Error message after:

{noformat}
user=> (cons 1 2)
ExceptionInfo Don't know how to create ISeq from: java.lang.Long
user=> (ex-data *e)
{:instance 2}
{noformat}
Stuart Halloway made changes -
Approval Vetted [ 10003 ] Screened [ 10004 ]
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Permalink
Michael Klishin added a comment -

Wouldn't it be better to make it read "Don't know how to create ISeq from: 2 (java.lang.Long)"? How many beginners will figure
out ex-data exists and how to use it?

Show
Michael Klishin added a comment - Wouldn't it be better to make it read "Don't know how to create ISeq from: 2 (java.lang.Long)"? How many beginners will figure out ex-data exists and how to use it?
Rich Hickey made changes -
Fix Version/s Release 1.5 [ 10150 ]
Rich Hickey made changes -
Approval Screened [ 10004 ] Ok [ 10007 ]
Fix Version/s Release 1.6 [ 10157 ]
Hide
Permalink
Stuart Halloway added a comment -

Hi Michael,

ex-info messages should not, in general, pr-str things into their bodies. This raises the question of print-length and print-level in a place where the user doesn't have good control, while the whole point of ex-info is to be in the data business, not the string business. Users can control printing from ex-data any way they like.

There are two possible ways to make beginners aware of ex-data: Tell them about it in one (or a few places) in docs, or in an infinite number of places saying "This would have been useful here, but we didn't use it because you might not know about it." I prefer the former.

That said, I think it would be great to increase the visibility of ex-info and ex-data early on in documentation for beginners, and to make sure that things like exception printing in logs are flexible enough not to lose the benefits of ex-info.

Show
Stuart Halloway added a comment - Hi Michael, ex-info messages should not, in general, pr-str things into their bodies. This raises the question of print-length and print-level in a place where the user doesn't have good control, while the whole point of ex-info is to be in the data business, not the string business. Users can control printing from ex-data any way they like. There are two possible ways to make beginners aware of ex-data: Tell them about it in one (or a few places) in docs, or in an infinite number of places saying "This would have been useful here, but we didn't use it because you might not know about it." I prefer the former. That said, I think it would be great to increase the visibility of ex-info and ex-data early on in documentation for beginners, and to make sure that things like exception printing in logs are flexible enough not to lose the benefits of ex-info.

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Dates

  • Created:
    Updated:
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