Ethereum: Better Error Messages When Performing Non-Contract Actions
The reliability and usability of these contracts largely depends on accurate and informative error messages, as it is a decentralized computing platform for smart contracts and applications built on Ethereum. However, when it comes to non-contract actions, such as external program calls or system interactions, getting better error messages can be a big challenge.
Current Status
Currently, most error messages for non-contract actions are generic and lack context. For example, an error message that says “invalid argument” without providing any information about what the invalid argument is, how it was specified, or why it caused the problem. The lack of transparency can make debugging and troubleshooting difficult.
Common Error Reporting Problem
There are several reasons why generic error messages are not suitable for non-contract actions:
- Lack of context: Without more information, it is difficult to understand what happened.
- Limited debugging capabilities: Debugging tools often have difficulty providing meaningful information without more context.
- More complex: More complex errors can be more difficult to identify and debug.
Improving error reporting for non-contract actions
There are several ways to address these issues:
- Use contract-specific error types
: Set up custom error types in contracts that are specific to actions that are not related to the contract. This way, developers who know their codebase will receive more targeted errors.
- Provide details in error messages: Include additional context and details about what happened during the action. For example, a message that says “invalid argument” could be followed by a description of why it was invalid (e.g., “argument is not a valid token value”).
- Use logging mechanisms: Use logging mechanisms to collect and analyze errors caused by non-contractual actions. This can help identify patterns and problems that might otherwise go unnoticed.
- Implement debugging tools: Create or integrate debugging tools that provide deeper insight into non-contractual actions, such as trace functions or displaying call stack information.
Best practices for error reporting
To get better error messages for non-contractual actions:
- Keep it short: Use clear and concise language to reduce the amount of information needed to diagnose problems.
- Provide context
: Provide enough context to understand what happened during the action, even if the error message itself doesn’t reveal much.
- Be consistent: Create a consistent error reporting format across contracts and systems.
Conclusion
Improving error reporting for non-contract related activities is key to ensuring the reliability and usability of decentralized applications. By using contract-specific error types, providing detailed information in error messages, using logging mechanisms, implementing debugging tools, and following best practices, developers can create more informative and effective error reports that help resolve issues more effectively.