Re: [Caml-list] assert false and -noassert

[james woodyatt <jhw@wetware.com>]

On Monday, February 18, 2002, at 06:00 , Xavier Leroy wrote:
> [I wrote:]
>> While we are on the subject of the assert function, it occurs to me 
>> that
>> it might be nice if -noassert together with "assert false" were to
>> bypass all exception handling and go right into program termination.  
>> It
>> seems to me that if I've used the -noassert option, I've made a promise
>> that the code compiled with it will never raise the Assert_failure
>> exception.
>
> This is a topic that we've discussed at some point: is it appropriate
> to map (conceptually) fatal errors (such as a failed assertion) to an
> exception?  There is one pitfall with this approach, namely that a
> catch-all "try ... with x -> ..." might inadvertently hide the fatal
> error.  On the other hand, the strenght of this approach is that it
> enables your program to clean up and possibly log a detailed error
> message before termination.

It *is* appropriate to map conceptually fatal errors (such as failed 
assertions) to exceptions.  I have a library.  It contains assertions.  
I want to test it.  I have a list of thirty test functions.  I iterate 
the list to apply all the functions to test the library, wrapping each 
one in a "try ... with x -> ..." clause.  Result: all thirty functions 
are applied, and I know how many of them raise the Assert_failure 
exception.

At some point, I want to turn off the assertions.  My expectation is 
that -noassert would then compile the library so that it never raises 
the Assert_failure exception.  Unfortunately, the "assert false" case 
is... well, an exception to the general rule.

That's why, when the -noassert flag is used, I would prefer that "assert 
false" map to an immediate program termination, á la "abort()" in the C 
language.  In fact, if that's what ocamlopt inserted in this case, i.e. 
a call to abort() in the C library, I would find that optimal.


--
j h woodyatt <jhw@wetware.com>
"...the antidote to misinformation is more information, not less."
                                                      --vinton cerf

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