Better error handling using do (#5890)

* adds `capture-errors` flag for `do`

* adds `get-type` core command to get type

* fmt

* add tests in example

* fmt

* fix tests

* manually revert previous changes related to `get-type`

* adds method to check for error name using `into string`

* fix clippy

crates/nu-command/src/conversions/into/string.rs

@@ -2,8 +2,8 @@ use nu_engine::CallExt;
 use nu_protocol::{
     ast::{Call, CellPath},
     engine::{Command, EngineState, Stack},
-    Category, Config, Example, IntoPipelineData, PipelineData, ShellError, Signature, Span,
-    SyntaxShape, Value,
+    into_code, Category, Config, Example, IntoPipelineData, PipelineData, ShellError, Signature,
+    Span, SyntaxShape, Value,
 };
 
 // TODO num_format::SystemLocale once platform-specific dependencies are stable (see Cargo.toml)
@@ -247,6 +247,15 @@ pub fn action(
             val: input.into_string(", ", config),
             span,
         },
+        Value::Error { error } => Value::String {
+            val: {
+                match into_code(error) {
+                    Some(code) => code,
+                    None => "".to_string(),
+                }
+            },
+            span,
+        },
         Value::Nothing { .. } => Value::String {
             val: "".to_string(),
             span,

crates/nu-command/src/core_commands/do_.rs

@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 use nu_engine::{eval_block, CallExt};
 use nu_protocol::ast::Call;
 use nu_protocol::engine::{CaptureBlock, Command, EngineState, Stack};
-use nu_protocol::{Category, Example, PipelineData, Signature, SyntaxShape, Value};
+use nu_protocol::{
+    Category, Example, IntoPipelineData, PipelineData, Signature, SyntaxShape, Value,
+};
 
 #[derive(Clone)]
 pub struct Do;
@@ -23,6 +25,11 @@ impl Command for Do {
                 "ignore errors as the block runs",
                 Some('i'),
             )
+            .switch(
+                "capture-errors",
+                "capture errors as the block runs and return it",
+                Some('c'),
+            )
             .rest("rest", SyntaxShape::Any, "the parameter(s) for the block")
             .category(Category::Core)
     }
@@ -37,6 +44,7 @@ impl Command for Do {
         let block: CaptureBlock = call.req(engine_state, stack, 0)?;
         let rest: Vec<Value> = call.rest(engine_state, stack, 1)?;
         let ignore_errors = call.has_flag("ignore-errors");
+        let capture_errors = call.has_flag("capture-errors");
 
         let mut stack = stack.captures_to_stack(&block.captures);
         let block = engine_state.get_block(block.block_id);
@@ -85,7 +93,7 @@ impl Command for Do {
             block,
             input,
             call.redirect_stdout,
-            ignore_errors,
+            ignore_errors || capture_errors,
         );
 
         if ignore_errors {
@@ -93,6 +101,11 @@ impl Command for Do {
                 Ok(x) => Ok(x),
                 Err(_) => Ok(PipelineData::new(call.head)),
             }
+        } else if capture_errors {
+            match result {
+                Ok(x) => Ok(x),
+                Err(err) => Ok((Value::Error { error: err }).into_pipeline_data()),
+            }
         } else {
             result
         }

crates/nu-command/tests/commands/do_.rs

@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+use nu_test_support::{nu, pipeline};
+
+#[test]
+fn capture_errors_works() {
+    let actual = nu!(
+        cwd: ".", pipeline(
+        r#"
+        do -c {$env.use} | describe
+        "#
+    ));
+
+    assert_eq!(actual.out, "error");
+}

crates/nu-command/tests/commands/mod.rs

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ mod cp;
 mod date;
 mod def;
 mod default;
+mod do_;
 mod drop;
 mod each;
 mod echo;

crates/nu-command/tests/commands/str_/into_string.rs

@@ -171,3 +171,15 @@ fn from_nothing() {
 
     assert_eq!(actual.out, "");
 }
+
+#[test]
+fn from_error() {
+    let actual = nu!(
+        cwd: ".", pipeline(
+        r#"
+        do -c {$env.use} | into string
+        "#
+    ));
+
+    assert_eq!(actual.out, "nu::shell::name_not_found");
+}

crates/nu-parser/src/parser.rs

@@ -2670,6 +2670,7 @@ pub fn parse_shape_name(
         b"record" => SyntaxShape::Record,
         b"list" => SyntaxShape::List(Box::new(SyntaxShape::Any)),
         b"table" => SyntaxShape::Table,
+        b"error" => SyntaxShape::Error,
         _ => {
             if bytes.contains(&b'@') {
                 let str = String::from_utf8_lossy(bytes);

crates/nu-protocol/src/shell_error.rs

@@ -724,6 +724,10 @@ impl From<Box<dyn std::error::Error + Send + Sync>> for ShellError {
     }
 }
 
+pub fn into_code(err: &ShellError) -> Option<String> {
+    err.code().map(|code| code.to_string())
+}
+
 pub fn did_you_mean(possibilities: &[String], tried: &str) -> Option<String> {
     let mut possible_matches: Vec<_> = possibilities
         .iter()

crates/nu-protocol/src/syntax_shape.rs

@@ -92,6 +92,9 @@ pub enum SyntaxShape {
     /// A record value
     Record,
 
+    /// An error value
+    Error,
+
     /// A custom shape with custom completion logic
     Custom(Box<SyntaxShape>, DeclId),
 }
@@ -112,6 +115,7 @@ impl SyntaxShape {
             SyntaxShape::Filesize => Type::Filesize,
             SyntaxShape::FullCellPath => Type::Any,
             SyntaxShape::GlobPattern => Type::String,
+            SyntaxShape::Error => Type::Error,
             SyntaxShape::ImportPattern => Type::Any,
             SyntaxShape::Int => Type::Int,
             SyntaxShape::List(x) => {
@@ -168,6 +172,7 @@ impl Display for SyntaxShape {
             SyntaxShape::Signature => write!(f, "signature"),
             SyntaxShape::Expression => write!(f, "expression"),
             SyntaxShape::Boolean => write!(f, "bool"),
+            SyntaxShape::Error => write!(f, "error"),
             SyntaxShape::Custom(x, _) => write!(f, "custom<{}>", x),
         }
     }