[ruby-talk:19823] Re: Exception handling bug?

Sorry, about the long post...

On Thu, 16 Aug 2001, Dave Thomas wrote:

> Dave Thomas <[e-mail]> writes:
> 
> > [e-mail] writes:
> > 
> > > Didn't post this to the bug database, as I'm not completely
> > > sure this is a bug. But let's see what you think about it.
> > 
> ... and to followup my own post, the unqualified rescue clause is also
> swallowing the timeout.

Yep, Dave was right. There was no bug, just consistent behaviour.

The "bug" could be essentially explained here

timeout(x) do
  # loop ensures we spend enough time in here
  loop do
    begin
      do_something
    rescue
      # rescues _everything_ including the thrown TimeoutError (*)
    end
  end
end

So when the TimeoutError is finally after x seconds thrown, it's
rescued and loop continues on, never letting out from timeout call.

This version works

timeout(x) do
  loop do
    begin
      do_something
    rescue TimeoutError => te
      # pass the TimeoutError out of loop do..end to timeout
      raise te
    rescue
    end
  end
end

But now, the current design of timeout library doesn't allow one to
timeout arbitrary code, as the code's normal exception handling
can interfere with the timeouting exception.

Thus, the solutions are at least:

1) write rescue TimeoutError => te; raise te; everywhere
   (This is called, I believe, defensive programming, and it's easy
    to understand why one doesn't want to tweak each exception
    handling, just because it's possible that the code will be
    timeouted sometime.) 

2) alter timeout.rb

So, I propose a RCR for this one.

RCR#U024 

Problem:

  A code which has not been designed timeouting library in mind, won't
  work perfectly when it contains not fully qualified rescue-clauses.

Proposed solution:

  A change in timeout.rb of standard library to derive

    class TimeoutError < Interrupt
    end

  instead of from StandardError.

  The change would make an exception raised at timeout to skip common
  "catch-all" rescue-clause.
  
  An example:
  
    timeout(x) do
      # loop ensures we spend enough time in here
      loop do
        begin
          do_something
        rescue
          # rescues StandardError, but should not 
          # for example TimeoutError
        end
      end
    end
  
  Previously the example hangs, with above fix it won't.
  
Possible effects on current code base:

  Most of the code would not suffer at all, and some code might work
  even better than before.

  Code that depends on TimeoutError being a descendant of
  StandardError wouldn't work anymore, neither code which assumes
  plain 

    begin
      ..
    rescue 
      ..
    end

  to capture also TimeoutErrors.

Things to decide:

  Is the Interrupt really the best place to derive from?
  Should Exception be used instead, or something else?

     - Aleksi

Ps. the RCR is also at wiki

  http://www.rubygarden.org/ruby?NeedDiscussion