Ruby Exception Handling: ScriptError

Today we continue the Ruby Exception Handling series by taking a look at the ScriptError exception class. ScriptError is actually a superclass, which means it is inherited by other exception classes, and thus when a ScriptError occurs, Ruby determines which of the subclasses is most relevant and raises that error for further examination.

Below we'll see what can cause various types of ScriptErrors and how to configure your application to avoid them wherever possible, so let's get started!

The Technical Rundown

• All Ruby exceptions are descendants of the Exception class, or a subclass therein.
• ScriptError is a direct descendant of the Exception class.
• ScriptError is a superclass to the subclasses LoadError, NotImplementedError, and SyntaxError.

When Should You Use It?

Unlike its subclass descendants, ScriptError itself is a direct descendant of the Exception class. ScriptErroritself will never be directly returned or rescued when executing code, but instead Ruby will generate one of the ScriptError subclasses that was raised by the error in question.

This is because ScriptError itself doesn't directly represent anything; it's best thought of as a template by which all script-related errors are generated from.

As an example, we can raise a LoadError, which is a subclass of ScriptError, with the following code:

def print_exception(exception, explicit)

    puts "[#{explicit ? 'EXPLICIT' : 'INEXPLICIT'}] #{exception.class}: #{exception.message}"

    puts exception.backtrace.join("\n")

end

begin
require 'invalid/file/path'
rescue ScriptError => e
print_exception(e, true)
rescue Exception => e
print_exception(e, false)
end

We are covering our bases here and rescuing the explicit ScriptError exception class, but also any generic or unexpected Exception that may occur in the second rescue clause below that.

The output of the above execution where we try to require a file path that doesn't exist is the raising of a LoadError:

[EXPLICIT] LoadError: cannot load such file -- invalid/file/path

G:/dev/programs/Ruby22-x64/lib/ruby/2.2.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:54:in `require'

G:/dev/programs/Ruby22-x64/lib/ruby/2.2.0/rubygems/core_ext/kernel_require.rb:54:in `require'

scripterror.rb:2:in `<main>'

Notice that this exception wasn't INEXPLICIT, and instead was rescued by explicitly calling the ScriptErrorsuperclass. However, the actual exception class itself that was raised (as represented by the e variable) was not ScriptError, but was instead a subclass of ScriptError, the LoadError exception. As discussed earlier, this is because ScriptError is a descendant of Exception, while LoadError (and others) then descend from ScriptError, as can be seen throughout the Ruby source code.

To illustrate that explicitly rescuing ScriptError works for other exception types, we can also attempt to raise a SyntaxError by evaluating syntactically invalid code:

def print_exception(exception, explicit)

    puts "[#{explicit ? 'EXPLICIT' : 'INEXPLICIT'}] #{exception.class}: #{exception.message}"

    puts exception.backtrace.join("\n")

end

begin
eval("1+2=3")
rescue ScriptError => e
print_exception(e, true)
rescue Exception => e
print_exception(e, false)
end

Once again, our explicit rescue of ScriptError produces a subclass, in this case a SyntaxError:

[EXPLICIT] SyntaxError: (eval):1: syntax error, unexpected '=', expecting end-of-input

1+2=3

    ^

scripterror2.rb:7:in `eval'

scripterror2.rb:7:in `<main>'

Since ScriptError is a descendant of Exception, if we completely remove the explicit call to ScriptError in the above example, and only leave the rescue for the generic Exception class, we still get the (INEXPLICIT) result, in this case again the SyntaxError exception:

def print_exception(exception, explicit)

    puts "[#{explicit ? 'EXPLICIT' : 'INEXPLICIT'}] #{exception.class}: #{exception.message}"

    puts exception.backtrace.join("\n")

end

begin
eval("1+2=3")
rescue Exception => e
print_exception(e, false)
end

Output:

[INEXPLICIT] SyntaxError: (eval):1: syntax error, unexpected '=', expecting end-of-input

1+2=3

    ^

scripterror3.rb:7:in `eval'

scripterror3.rb:7:in `<main>'

One particular caveat here, however, is that since ScriptError and its subclasses are not descendants of StandardError, which is the default exception type Ruby creates for rescue clauses without explicit class specification, we cannot use a non-explicit rescue clause and expect any form of ScriptError to trigger that code.

def print_exception(exception, explicit)

    puts "[#{explicit ? 'EXPLICIT' : 'INEXPLICIT'}] #{exception.class}: #{exception.message}"

    puts exception.backtrace.join("\n")

end

begin
eval("1+2=3")
rescue => e
print_exception(e, false)
end

Here we're using the previous eval() example again, but we've removed all explicit class calls in the rescue to either ScriptError or even Exception. Watch what happens with the output:

scripterror4.rb:7:in `eval': (eval):1: syntax error, unexpected '=', expecting end-of-input (SyntaxError)

1+2=3

    ^

        from scripterror4.rb:7:in `<main>'

Our print_exception function is not even called, and the reason is because the actual exception class that was raised (SyntaxError) is not a descendant of StandardError, so the non-explicit rescue => e clause fails to trigger.

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