Contributor
willybobilly

Friendlier Error Messages for Processing


Mentors
Raphaƫl de Courville, Sam Pottinger
Organization
Processing Foundation
Technologies
java
Topics
debugging, java, Error Handling
This proposal entails revamping the existing Processing error message system so that it resembles the P5.js Friendly Error System (FES). The problem is that the current error messages are often vague and not easily understood by beginners. I plan to remedy this by ensuring each error message four components: the original error generated by the JVM, an identification of the problem an explanation of the problem and when possible, a solution to the error. The error messages should convey the severity of the error and in beginner friendly language, explain the cause of the error. The error message should also provide links to relevant documentation to contextualize the issues and also include the original JVM message. Time permitting, additional features such as translation into other languages, a log of previous errors and a button to accept user feedback.