tawada / grass-grower

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Implement Specific Exception Handling and Enhance User-Centric Error Messaging #41

Open tawada opened 5 months ago

tawada commented 5 months ago

Reviewing the code structure and functionality provided across the various Python files, I've identified a notable improvement area that aligns particularly with software design principles and error handling practices. The concern lies with the approach to exception handling and logging within the system, specifically regarding the granularity and user-centric nature of error messages produced by the application.

Issue Identified: Insufficient User-Centric Error Handling and Logging

  1. Broad Exception Handling: Across several modules, there's a pattern of catching generic exceptions (except Exception as e:) without specifically targeting anticipated error types. This broad exception catching can obscure the root cause of errors, making debugging more challenging and potentially leading to uninformative error messages being logged or displayed to the end user.

    Example: In utils/logging_utils.py within the exception_handler decorator, any exception raised during function execution is logged as an error with a generic message. While this ensures that no exception goes unnoticed, it doesn't provide clear guidance on the nature of the error or how users might resolve it.

  2. Logging Levels and Details: The logging implemented in the system primarily utilizes the info and error levels, with limited use of the other logging levels that might offer a more nuanced understanding of the application's state (e.g., debug, warning, critical). Moreover, the detail included in some log messages might not be sufficient for diagnosing issues without further investigation.

    Example: In services/github/__init__.py, operations related to GitHub APIs log errors at a high level, but might benefit from including more specific details about the API request that failed (e.g., HTTP status codes, API endpoint, request payload snippets) while still respecting privacy and security considerations.

  3. User-Centric Error Messages: The error messages, particularly those that might bubble up to end users through CLI or API responses, often reflect system-centric language rather than user-centric explanations. Ensuring error messages are structured to guide the user towards possible resolutions or further actions can enhance the user experience.

    Example: Exception classes in services/github/exceptions.py define structured messages for different error types related to GitHub operations; incorporating suggestions for resolution or links to documentation could make these messages more actionable for users.

Recommendation: To enhance the reliability and usability of the application, I recommend adopting these strategies: