Clojure

Unintuitive error response in clojure 1.0

Details

  • Type: Enhancement Enhancement
  • Status: Open Open
  • Priority: Minor Minor
  • Resolution: Unresolved
  • Affects Version/s: None
  • Fix Version/s: Backlog
  • Component/s: None
  • Labels:
    None
  • Patch:
    Code and Test
  • Approval:
    Incomplete

Description

The following broken code:

(let [[x y] {}] x)

provides the following stack trace:

Exception in thread "main" java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException: nth not supported on this type: PersistentArrayMap (test.clj:0)
at clojure.lang.Compiler.eval(Compiler.java:4543)
at clojure.lang.Compiler.load(Compiler.java:4857)
at clojure.lang.Compiler.loadFile(Compiler.java:4824)
at clojure.main$load_script__5833.invoke(main.clj:206)
at clojure.main$script_opt__5864.invoke(main.clj:258)
at clojure.main$main__5888.doInvoke(main.clj:333)
at clojure.lang.RestFn.invoke(RestFn.java:413)
at clojure.lang.Var.invoke(Var.java:346)
at clojure.lang.AFn.applyToHelper(AFn.java:173)
at clojure.lang.Var.applyTo(Var.java:463)
at clojure.main.main(main.java:39)
Caused by: java.lang.UnsupportedOperationException: nth not supported on this type: PersistentArrayMap
at clojure.lang.RT.nth(RT.java:800)
at clojure.core$nth__3578.invoke(core.clj:873)
at user$eval__1.invoke(test.clj:1)
at clojure.lang.Compiler.eval(Compiler.java:4532)
... 10 more

The message "nth not supported on this type" while correct doesn't make the cause of the error very clear. Better error messages when destructuring would be very helpful.

Attachments

  1. Text File
    CLJ-5.patch
    11/Nov/11 7:38 PM
    2 kB
    Eugene Koontz
  2. File
    clj-5-destructure-error.diff
    28/Apr/12 10:46 PM
    6 kB
    Carin Meier

Activity

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Assembla Importer added a comment -

Converted from http://www.assembla.com/spaces/clojure/tickets/5

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Assembla Importer added a comment - Converted from http://www.assembla.com/spaces/clojure/tickets/5
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Eugene Koontz added a comment -

Please see the attached patch which produces a (hopefully more clear) error message as shown below (given the broken code shown in the original bug report):

Clojure 1.4.0-master-SNAPSHOT
user=> (let [x 42 y 43] (+ x y))
85
user=> (let [[x y] {}] x)
UnsupportedOperationException left side of binding must be a symbol (found a PersistentVector instead).  clojure.lang.Compiler.checkLet (Compiler.java:6545)
user=>

In addition, this patch checks the argument of (let) as shown below:

user=> (let 42)
UnsupportedOperationException argument to (let)  must be a vector (found a Long instead).  clojure.lang.Compiler.checkLet (Compiler.java:6553)
Show
Eugene Koontz added a comment - Please see the attached patch which produces a (hopefully more clear) error message as shown below (given the broken code shown in the original bug report): 
Clojure 1.4.0-master-SNAPSHOT
user=> (let [x 42 y 43] (+ x y))
85
user=> (let [[x y] {}] x)
UnsupportedOperationException left side of binding must be a symbol (found a PersistentVector instead).  clojure.lang.Compiler.checkLet (Compiler.java:6545)
user=>
In addition, this patch checks the argument of (let) as shown below: 
user=> (let 42)
UnsupportedOperationException argument to (let)  must be a vector (found a Long instead).  clojure.lang.Compiler.checkLet (Compiler.java:6553)
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Eugene Koontz added a comment -

Patch produced by doing git diff against commit ba930d95fc (master branch).

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Eugene Koontz added a comment - Patch produced by doing git diff against commit ba930d95fc (master branch).
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Eugene Koontz added a comment -

Sorry, this patch is wrong: it assumes that the left side of the binding is wrong - the [x y] in :

(let [[x y] {}] x)

because [x y] is a vector, when in fact, the left side is fine (per http://clojure.org/special_forms#let : "Clojure supports abstract structural binding, often called destructuring, in let binding lists".)

So it's the right side (the {}) that needs to be checked and flagged as erroneous, not the [x y].

Show
Eugene Koontz added a comment - Sorry, this patch is wrong: it assumes that the left side of the binding is wrong - the [x y] in : 
(let [[x y] {}] x)
because [x y] is a vector, when in fact, the left side is fine (per http://clojure.org/special_forms#let : "Clojure supports abstract structural binding, often called destructuring, in let binding lists".) So it's the right side (the {}) that needs to be checked and flagged as erroneous, not the [x y].
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Carin Meier added a comment -

Add patch better-error-for-let-vector-map-binding

This produces the following:

(let [[x y] {}] x)
Exception map binding to vector is not supported

There are other cases that are not handled by this though — like binding vector to a set

user=> (let [[x y] #{}] x)
UnsupportedOperationException nth not supported on this type: PersistentHashSet

Wondering if it might be better to try convert the map to a seq to support? Although this might be another issue.

Thoughts?

Show
Carin Meier added a comment - Add patch better-error-for-let-vector-map-binding This produces the following: 
(let [[x y] {}] x)
Exception map binding to vector is not supported
There are other cases that are not handled by this though — like binding vector to a set 
user=> (let [[x y] #{}] x)
UnsupportedOperationException nth not supported on this type: PersistentHashSet
Wondering if it might be better to try convert the map to a seq to support? Although this might be another issue. Thoughts?
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Aaron Bedra added a comment -

This seems too specific. Is this issue indicative of a larger problem that should be addressed? Even if this is the only case where bindings produce poor error messages, all the cases described above should be addressed in the patch.

Show
Aaron Bedra added a comment - This seems too specific. Is this issue indicative of a larger problem that should be addressed? Even if this is the only case where bindings produce poor error messages, all the cases described above should be addressed in the patch.
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Carin Meier added a comment -

Unfortunately, realized that this still does not cover the nested destructuring cases. Coming to the conclusion, that my approach above is not going to work for this.

Show
Carin Meier added a comment - Unfortunately, realized that this still does not cover the nested destructuring cases. Coming to the conclusion, that my approach above is not going to work for this.
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Carin Meier added a comment - - edited

File: clj-5-destructure-error.diff

Added support for nested destructuring errors

let [[[x1 y1][x2 y2]] [[1 2] {}]]
;=> UnsupportedOperationException let cannot destructure class clojure.lang.PersistentArrayMap.
Show
Carin Meier added a comment - - edited File: clj-5-destructure-error.diff Added support for nested destructuring errors 
let [[[x1 y1][x2 y2]] [[1 2] {}]]
;=> UnsupportedOperationException let cannot destructure class clojure.lang.PersistentArrayMap.

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Dates

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    Updated:
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