Re: Error handling in plperl and pltcl

--- Jan Wieck <JanWieck(at)Yahoo(dot)com> wrote:

> On 12/1/2004 9:23 AM, Jan Wieck wrote:
>
> > On 12/1/2004 4:27 AM, Richard Huxton wrote:
> >
> >> Thomas Hallgren wrote:
> >>> Richard Huxton wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> Can I make some counter-proposals?
> >>>>
> >>>> 1. Wrap each function body/call (same thing
> here afaict) in a
> >>>> sub-transaction. An exception can be caught
> within that function, and
> >>>> all the spi in that function is then rolled
> back. This is rubbish, but
> >>>> at least it's predictable and allows you to
> write to a log table and
> >>>> throw another exception.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> This will be even worse since it will impose the
> subtransaction overhead
> >>> on everything, even functions that never do any
> database access. Perhaps
> >>> this approach would be feasible if imposed on
> volatile functions only,
> >>> but then again, the volatility of a function
> cannot be trusted since we
> >>> have no way of defining a "stable but with side
> effects" type.
> >>
> >> Actually, I was thinking of setting a flag and
> then on the first SPI
> >> call start the subtrans.
> >>
> >>>> 2. For pl/tcl introduce a pgtry { } catch { }
> which just starts a
> >>>> sub-transaction and does standard try/catch. I
> don't use TCL, but from
> >>>> the little I know this should be
> straightforward.
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> If you know how to use special constructs like
> this, what's wrong with
> >>> actually using savepoints verbatim? I.e.
> >>>
> >>> INSERT 1
> >>> INSERT 2
> >>> SAVEPOINT foo
> >>> try {
> >>> INSERT 3
> >>> INSERT 4
> >>> RELEASE foo
> >>> }
> >>> catch WHATEVER {
> >>> ROLLBACK TO foo
> >>> INSERT 5
> >>> INSERT 6
> >>> }
> >>>
> >>> IMHO a very clean, sensible, and easily
> understood approach that doesn't
> >>> clobber the language.
> >>
> >> But is the problem not that forgetting to use
> SAVEPOINT can get us in
> >> trouble with clearing up after an exception?
> That's the main thrust of
> >> Tom's per-statement stuff AFAICT. And again,
> you're not going to see the
> >> problem until an exception is thrown.
> >
> > I think the following would a) be a drop in
> replacement without any side
> > effects or performance impact for PL/Tcl functions
> not using "catch" and
> > b) give "catch" a sensible and correct behaviour.
> >
> > One can _replace_ the Tcl catch command with his
> own C function. This
> > can be done during the interpreter initialization
> when loading the
> > PL/Tcl module. The new catch would
> >
> > push a status NEED_SUBTRANS onto a stack
> > call Tcl_Eval() for the first command
> argument
> > if TCL_ERROR {
> > pop status from stack
> > if popped status == HAVE_SUBTRANS {
> > rollback subtransaction
> > }
> > if a second argument exists {
> > store interpreter result in variable
> > }
> > return TCL_ERROR
>
> er ... no ... must return a true boolean with TCL_OK
> here
>
> > }
> > pop status from stack
> > if popped status == HAVE_SUBTRANS {
> > commit subtransaction
> > }
> >
> > return result code from Tcl_Eval()
>
> and here it must put a false boolean into the Tcl
> result ... not 100%
> sure about the result code. Must check if it's
> possible to return or
> break from inside a catch block ... if not, then
> catch allways turns the
> internal result code into TCL_OK. Anyhow, you get
> the idea.
>

Yes, you can have break, return in a catch
statement...it would return the exception code for
that statement (i.e. TCL_BREAK, TCL_RETURN).

I like this proposal, just as long as it behaves
exactly like Tcl's catch when there is no SPI function
call.

--brett