Better Error Messages on API

OwenMelbz

Hi,

When you throw an exception API end, it converts it into a not so friendly "code" e.g.

If you do something like...

throw new PermissionDeniedException("You do not have permission to ban this user.")

The API response returns

{
  "errors": [
      { "status": 403, "code": "permission_denied" }
  ],
}

How can we make sure the actual exception message gets included e.g. $exception->getMessage() like what normally happens in Laravel error responses?

Thanks

clarkwinkelmann

OwenMelbz I don't think it has a page in our documentation, but our exception handler API can be used to define how each exception should be rendered.

If you are throwing custom exceptions in an extension, you can define an exception handler that will include additional content.

For example I implemented a JSON:API compliant error handler for 400 invalid query string errors in Taxonomies https://github.com/flamarkt/taxonomies/blob/main/src/Exceptions/InvalidFilterTaxonomyHandler.php

If you want to change how an existing exception is handled, you could override its exception handler, or the exception renderer altogether. Flarum's default behavior is to only expose the raw message or trace when debug mode is on.

OwenMelbz

Hi,

We’re not looking to add our own exceptions, we’re looking to modify the overall JSON response format so it’s more user friendly.

How can we over write the global exception renderer for the API to add our own formatting in?

Thanks 🙂

clarkwinkelmann

OwenMelbz but I don't think Flarum includes more details in its exceptions? You would have to rewrite every part of the code that throws the exceptions as well, which might be impossible to maintain in the long run.

OwenMelbz

clarkwinkelmann

Well the exceptions that get thrown have messages that come with them normally eg $exception->getMessage();

This is all we want, it’s actually included in the “details” when debug is turned on, so the data is there already, we just need to tweak it