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D - Exceptions in Standard Library

reply "Jan-Eric Duden" <jeduden whisset.com> writes:
Hi!

I just read some source code of the phobos library. There is one important
issue that should be fixed
sooner than later:

All exceptions that are thrown need to have an error code and the error
codes and exceptions need to be listed in the class description.

If the expections that are thrown do not have an error code, you cannot find
out what error happened and you cannot translate the error message into an
appropriate language.

-- 
Jan-Eric Duden
Mar 30 2004
parent reply "Derek Parnell" <Derek.Parnell psyc.ward> writes:
On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 09:07:50 +0200 (31/Mar/04 05:07:50 PM)
, Jan-Eric Duden <jeduden whisset.com> wrote:


 Hi!

 I just read some source code of the phobos library. There is one  
 important
 issue that should be fixed
 sooner than later:

 All exceptions that are thrown need to have an error code and the error
 codes and exceptions need to be listed in the class description.

 If the expections that are thrown do not have an error code, you cannot  
 find
 out what error happened and you cannot translate the error message into  
 an
 appropriate language.


Agreed!

I prefer to keep UI text external to the program code and look it up at  
runtime. The lookup mechanism is made a lot easier if there are codes or  
tags to use as keys to the text. It makes multi-language support a lot  
easier.

Embedded English UI text is a bit of a waste in programs that are used in  
non-English speaking environments.

-- 
Derek
Mar 30 2004
parent reply "Jan-Eric Duden" <jeduden whisset.com> writes:
I usually prefer to have both: a default english error message and an error
code.
The default message for quick-and-dirty hacks and debugging.
The error code for sophisticated feedback that is going to be presented to
the user by the UI in
some language.

-- 
Jan-Eric Duden
"Derek Parnell" <Derek.Parnell psyc.ward> wrote in message
news:opr5ptkjcpu2m3b2 news.digitalmars.com...

 On Wed, 31 Mar 2004 09:07:50 +0200 (31/Mar/04 05:07:50 PM)
 , Jan-Eric Duden <jeduden whisset.com> wrote:


 Hi!

 I just read some source code of the phobos library. There is one
 important
 issue that should be fixed
 sooner than later:

 All exceptions that are thrown need to have an error code and the error
 codes and exceptions need to be listed in the class description.

 If the expections that are thrown do not have an error code, you cannot
 find
 out what error happened and you cannot translate the error message into
 an
 appropriate language.


 Agreed!

 I prefer to keep UI text external to the program code and look it up at
 runtime. The lookup mechanism is made a lot easier if there are codes or
 tags to use as keys to the text. It makes multi-language support a lot
 easier.

 Embedded English UI text is a bit of a waste in programs that are used in
 non-English speaking environments.

 -- 
 Derek
Mar 30 2004
parent reply Matthias Becker <Matthias_member pathlink.com> writes:
I usually prefer to have both: a default english error message and an error
code.
The default message for quick-and-dirty hacks and debugging.
The error code for sophisticated feedback that is going to be presented to
the user by the UI in
some language.


I usualy hate errorcodes. You can identify the error by the type that is thrown.
Mar 31 2004
next sibling parent reply "Jan-Eric Duden" <jeduden whisset.com> writes:
That depends on the design of the exception classes.
In order to have the same functionality that error codes provide,
then you need to have for every error a different class.
which might be the appropriate approach.

-- 
Jan-Eric Duden
"Matthias Becker" <Matthias_member pathlink.com> wrote in message
news:c4duhn$oac$1 digitaldaemon.com...

I usually prefer to have both: a default english error message and an




error

code.
The default message for quick-and-dirty hacks and debugging.
The error code for sophisticated feedback that is going to be presented




to

the user by the UI in
some language.


 I usualy hate errorcodes. You can identify the error by the type that is


thrown.





 Mar 31 2004



  parent  Dave Sieber <dsieber spamnot.sbcglobal.net>  writes:


"Jan-Eric Duden" <jeduden whisset.com> wrote:


 That depends on the design of the exception classes.
 In order to have the same functionality that error codes provide,
 then you need to have for every error a different class.
 which might be the appropriate approach.


Or you could have a compromise. MFC, if I recall correctly, has a 
CException base class, and then a bunch of derived classes. CFileException, 
in particular, has an error code you can query to find out exactly what 
happened (end of file, out of disk space, etc.). I believe COleException is 
similar, but with different error codes related to COM/ActiveX.

And for the other extreme, ATL has only one exception, CAtlException, which 
has only one (meaningful) method to return the HRESULT. In general, ATL 
programmers frown on the use of exceptions, and I think this class design 
mirrors that philosophy.

-- 
dave



 Mar 31 2004



prev sibling next sibling parent  "Derjo Phar" <not available.com>  writes:


"Matthias Becker" <Matthias_member pathlink.com> wrote in message
news:c4duhn$oac$1 digitaldaemon.com...

I usually prefer to have both: a default english error message and an




error

code.
The default message for quick-and-dirty hacks and debugging.
The error code for sophisticated feedback that is going to be presented




to

the user by the UI in
some language.


 I usualy hate errorcodes.


When coding or when running a program? Error codes can have meaningful names
for the coder. Error codes should always be converted to meaningful text for
the user.


 You can identify the error by the type that is thrown.


If  this is true, then the object thrown IS the error code. However, because
it is possible to throw the same object for different error conditions, it
is not always true that if you know the thrown object you therefore know the
error.

-- 
Derek



 Mar 31 2004



prev sibling  parent  Hauke Duden <H.NS.Duden gmx.net>  writes:


Matthias Becker wrote:

 I usualy hate errorcodes. You can identify the error by the type that is
thrown.


But you cannot create a map that maps types to text strings.

Besides, you definitely need error codes if the error is merely passed 
along by the library. For example, a HTTP connection class will want to 
include the HTTP error code in the exceptions it throws.

Do you want to create a separate class for the hundreds of possible HTTP 
error codes? You'd also have to do a big switch before throwing the 
exception and then, on the other end, you'd have to do a long if/else to 
get the error code back from the type.

I prefer the error codes, thank you ;).

Hauke



 Mar 31 2004