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Wrap errors with context

influxdata/influxdb
Based on 6 comments
Go

Always wrap errors with meaningful context using fmt.Errorf and %w verb. Include relevant identifiers (filenames, IDs, paths) in error messages to aid debugging. This helps pinpoint error sources and simplifies troubleshooting.

Error Handling Go

Reviewer Prompt

Always wrap errors with meaningful context using fmt.Errorf and %w verb. Include relevant identifiers (filenames, IDs, paths) in error messages to aid debugging. This helps pinpoint error sources and simplifies troubleshooting.

Example:

// Bad:
if err := os.Open(path); err != nil {
    return err  // Original context is lost
}

// Good:
if err := os.Open(path); err != nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("failed to open config file %q: %w", path, err)
}

// Bad:
func (s *Store) SetShardNewReadersBlocked(shardID uint64, blocked bool) error {
    if sh == nil {
        return ErrShardNotFound  // Missing context
    }
}

// Good:
func (s *Store) SetShardNewReadersBlocked(shardID uint64, blocked bool) error {
    if sh == nil {
        return fmt.Errorf("shard not found: id=%d blocked=%v: %w", 
            shardID, blocked, ErrShardNotFound)
    }
}

Key points:

  • Use fmt.Errorf with %w to wrap errors while preserving the error chain
  • Include relevant identifiers (paths, IDs) in error messages
  • Add operation context to clarify what failed
  • Preserve the original error for error type checking with errors.Is()
6
Comments Analyzed
Go
Primary Language
Error Handling
Category

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