Informative error messages

[wlandau]

When quarto_render() errors out due to an error in a code chunk, it would be helpful if the condition message were more informative. Tools like targets would have an easier time logging and documenting errors. From ropensci/tarchetypes#99.

lines <- c(
  "---",
  "title: 'error'",
  "format: html",
  "editor: source",
  "---",
  "",
  "```{r}",
  "stop('true message')",
  "```"
)
writeLines(lines, "report.qmd")
tryCatch(
  quarto::quarto_render("report.qmd", quiet = TRUE),
  error = function(condition) {
    print(sprintf("Quarto error message: %s", conditionMessage(condition)))
  }
)
#> [1] "Quarto error message: ! System command 'quarto' failed"

^{Created on 2022-07-01 by the reprex package (v2.0.1)}

[cderv]

Related to

• quarto_render() throws an uninformative error when output is an absolute path #126

[cderv]

This is what we get currently with dev version and quiet = FALSE

> quarto_render("report.qmd", quiet = FALSE)
Error in `quarto_render()`:
! Error running quarto cli:
✖ 


processing file: report.qmd
  |...................................                 |  67% [unnamed-chunk-1]


Quitting from lines 8-9 [unnamed-chunk-1] (report.qmd)
Error:
! true message
                                                                                                            
Exécution arrêtée
++ Activating rlang global_entrace

Caused by error:
! System command 'quarto.exe' failed
Run `rlang::last_trace()` to see where the error occurred.

When quiet = TRUE, we pass --quiet to quarto render and it makes the rendering really quiet !!

> quarto render .\report.qmd --quiet
> echo $LASTEXITCODE
1
> quarto render .\report.qmd


processing file: report.qmd
  |...................................                 |  67% [unnamed-chunk-1]


Quitting from lines 8-9 [unnamed-chunk-1] (report.qmd)
Error:
! true message

Exécution arrêtée

So this is probably the same as #126 and we should indeed advice to re-run with quiet = TRUE, and even debug = TRUE to see more error

[cderv]

After 0985e12 this is what we get (when also rlang backtrace are activated)

lines <- c(
    "---",
    "title: 'error'",
    "format: html",
    "editor: source",
    "---",
    "",
    "```{r}",
    "stop('true message')",
    "```"
)
writeLines(lines, "report.qmd")
quarto_render("report.qmd", quiet = TRUE)
#> Error in `quarto_render()`:
#> ! Error running quarto cli:
#> ℹ Rerun with `quiet = FALSE` to see the full error message.
#> Caused by error:
#> ! System command 'quarto.exe' failed
#> Backtrace:
#>     ▆
#>  1. └─quarto::quarto_render("report.qmd", quiet = TRUE)
#>  2.   └─quarto:::quarto_run(args, echo = TRUE, quarto_bin = quarto_bin) at quarto-r/R/render.R:184:3
#>  3.     └─base::tryCatch(...) at quarto-r/R/quarto.R:42:3
#>  4.       └─base (local) tryCatchList(expr, classes, parentenv, handlers)
#>  5.         └─base (local) tryCatchOne(expr, names, parentenv, handlers[[1L]])
#>  6.           └─value[[3L]](cond)
#>  7.             └─rlang::abort(msg, call = .call, parent = e) at quarto-r/R/quarto.R:49:7
quarto_render("report.qmd", quiet = FALSE)
#> Error in `quarto_render()`:
#> ! Error running quarto cli:
#> ✖ ++ Activating rlang global_entrace
#> 
#> 
#> 
#> processing file: report.qmd
#>   |                                                            |                                                    |   0%  |                                                            |.................                                   |  33%                    |                                                            |...................................                 |  67% [unnamed-chunk-1]
#> 
#> 
#> Quitting from lines 8-9 [unnamed-chunk-1] (report.qmd)
#> Error:
#> ! true message
#>                                                                                                             
#> Exécution arrêtée
#> ++ Activating rlang global_entrace
#> 
#> Caused by error:
#> ! System command 'quarto.exe' failed
#> Backtrace:
#>     ▆
#>  1. └─quarto::quarto_render("report.qmd", quiet = FALSE)
#>  2.   └─quarto:::quarto_run(args, echo = TRUE, quarto_bin = quarto_bin) at quarto-r/R/render.R:184:3
#>  3.     └─base::tryCatch(...) at quarto-r/R/quarto.R:42:3
#>  4.       └─base (local) tryCatchList(expr, classes, parentenv, handlers)
#>  5.         └─base (local) tryCatchOne(expr, names, parentenv, handlers[[1L]])
#>  6.           └─value[[3L]](cond)
#>  7.             └─rlang::abort(msg, call = .call, parent = e) at quarto-r/R/quarto.R:49:7

quiet = TRUE will run quarto render --quiet and this returns really nothing even when there is an error. So nothing more to show on R side from running quarto CLI.

Hope this is enough.

Feel free to ask for more otherwise.

[wlandau]

Thanks!