fail-early-pattern
About
This skill teaches developers to implement the fail-fast pattern by validating inputs and reporting errors immediately using guard clauses and assertions. It provides practical examples in R with cross-language principles for writing robust functions that handle invalid arguments. Use it when hardening APIs, refactoring silent failures, or adding validation to catch errors early.
Quick Install
Claude Code
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Documentation
早敗
物將敗則宜早敗、高敗、富境敗。此技定早敗模:於系界驗入、以守護條早拒壞態、書答何敗、何處、何以、何修之誤信。
用
- 書或閱納外入之函(用數、API 答、文容)
- CRAN 提前加包函入驗
- 重構默產誤果之碼
- 閱 PR 察誤處質
- 強內 API 抗誤參
入
- 必:施此模之函或模
- 必:信界之識(外數入處)
- 可:欲重構之舊誤處碼
- 可:標語(默:R;亦適 Python、TypeScript、Rust)
行
一:識信界
映外數入系之處。此為須驗之點:
- 公 API 函(R 包之出函)
- 用者面參
- 文 I/O(讀組、數文、用傳)
- 網答(API 呼、庫詢)
- 環境變與系組
僅自己已驗碼所呼之內助函常無須重驗。
得:不信數入碼之入點列。
敗:界不明→自日或蟲報之誤反追至壞數首入處。
二:於入點加守護
各公函首驗入,工前。
R(base):
calculate_summary <- function(data, method = c("mean", "median", "trim"), trim_pct = 0.1) {
# Guard: type check
if (!is.data.frame(data)) {
stop("'data' must be a data frame, not ", class(data)[[1]], call. = FALSE)
}
# Guard: non-empty
if (nrow(data) == 0L) {
stop("'data' must have at least one row", call. = FALSE)
}
# Guard: argument matching
method <- match.arg(method)
# Guard: range check
if (!is.numeric(trim_pct) || trim_pct < 0 || trim_pct > 0.5) {
stop("'trim_pct' must be a number between 0 and 0.5, got: ", trim_pct, call. = FALSE)
}
# --- All guards passed, begin real work ---
# ...
}
R(rlang/cli — 包宜):
calculate_summary <- function(data, method = c("mean", "median", "trim"), trim_pct = 0.1) {
rlang::check_required(data)
if (!is.data.frame(data)) {
cli::cli_abort("{.arg data} must be a data frame, not {.cls {class(data)}}.")
}
if (nrow(data) == 0L) {
cli::cli_abort("{.arg data} must have at least one row.")
}
method <- rlang::arg_match(method)
if (!is.numeric(trim_pct) || trim_pct < 0 || trim_pct > 0.5) {
cli::cli_abort("{.arg trim_pct} must be between 0 and 0.5, not {.val {trim_pct}}.")
}
# ...
}
通(TypeScript):
function calculateSummary(data: DataFrame, method: Method, trimPct: number): Summary {
if (data.rows.length === 0) {
throw new Error(`data must have at least one row`);
}
if (trimPct < 0 || trimPct > 0.5) {
throw new RangeError(`trimPct must be between 0 and 0.5, got: ${trimPct}`);
}
// ...
}
得:每公函以守護始,於副作用或算前拒誤入。
敗:驗邏過長(>15 行)→抽 validate_* 助函或以 stopifnot() 為簡類斷。
三:書有義誤信
每誤信宜答四問:
- 何敗——何參或作
- 何處——函名或境(
cli::cli_abort自動) - 何以——所期對所得
- 何修——非顯時
佳信:
# What + Why (expected vs. actual)
stop("'n' must be a positive integer, got: ", n, call. = FALSE)
# What + Why + How to fix
cli::cli_abort(c(
"{.arg config_path} does not exist: {.file {config_path}}",
"i" = "Create it with {.run create_config({.file {config_path}})}."
))
# What + context
cli::cli_abort(c(
"Column {.val {col_name}} not found in {.arg data}.",
"i" = "Available columns: {.val {names(data)}}"
))
劣信:
stop("Error") # What failed? No idea
stop("Invalid input") # Which input? What's wrong with it?
stop(paste("Error in step", i)) # No actionable information
得:誤信自述——初見者可不讀源而診修。
敗:閱末三蟲報。若任須讀源解→其誤信宜改。
四:偏 stop() 於 warning()
函不能產正果→用 stop()(或 cli::cli_abort())。函仍能產有意果而呼者宜知憂→用 warning()。
規:若用者或默得誤答→stop(),非 warning()。
# CORRECT: stop when result would be wrong
read_config <- function(path) {
if (!file.exists(path)) {
stop("Config file not found: ", path, call. = FALSE)
}
yaml::read_yaml(path)
}
# CORRECT: warn when result is still usable
summarize_data <- function(data) {
if (any(is.na(data$value))) {
warning(sum(is.na(data$value)), " NA values dropped from 'value' column", call. = FALSE)
data <- data[!is.na(data$value), ]
}
# proceed with valid data
}
得:stop() 用於產誤果之條件;warning() 留於退化而有效之果。
敗:察舊 warning() 呼。若函於警後返荒→改為 stop()。
五:內不變用斷
對「正碼中不應發生」之條件用斷。此於發期捕程者誤:
# R: stopifnot for internal invariants
process_chunk <- function(chunk, total_size) {
stopifnot(
is.list(chunk),
length(chunk) > 0,
total_size > 0
)
# ...
}
# R: explicit assertion with context
merge_results <- function(left, right) {
if (ncol(left) != ncol(right)) {
stop("Internal error: column count mismatch (", ncol(left), " vs ", ncol(right),
"). This is a bug — please report it.", call. = FALSE)
}
# ...
}
得:內不變已斷,蟲立於違處現,非三呼後以隱信現。
敗:stopifnot() 信過隱→改為顯 if/stop 含境。
六:重構反模
識並修此常反模:
反模一:空 tryCatch(吞誤)
# BEFORE: Error silently disappears
result <- tryCatch(
parse_data(input),
error = function(e) NULL
)
# AFTER: Log, re-throw, or return a typed error
result <- tryCatch(
parse_data(input),
error = function(e) {
cli::cli_abort("Failed to parse input: {e$message}", parent = e)
}
)
反模二:默值掩壞入
# BEFORE: Caller never knows their input was ignored
process <- function(x = 10) {
if (!is.numeric(x)) x <- 10 # silently replaces bad input
x * 2
}
# AFTER: Tell the caller about the problem
process <- function(x = 10) {
if (!is.numeric(x)) {
stop("'x' must be numeric, got ", class(x)[[1]], call. = FALSE)
}
x * 2
}
反模三:以 suppressWarnings 為修
# BEFORE: Hiding the symptom instead of fixing the cause
result <- suppressWarnings(as.numeric(user_input))
# AFTER: Validate explicitly, handle the expected case
if (!grepl("^-?\\d+\\.?\\d*$", user_input)) {
stop("Expected a number, got: '", user_input, "'", call. = FALSE)
}
result <- as.numeric(user_input)
反模四:catch-all 異處
# BEFORE: Every error treated the same
tryCatch(
complex_operation(),
error = function(e) message("Something went wrong")
)
# AFTER: Handle specific conditions, let unexpected ones propagate
tryCatch(
complex_operation(),
custom_validation_error = function(e) {
cli::cli_warn("Validation issue: {e$message}")
fallback_value
}
# Unexpected errors propagate naturally
)
得:反模以顯驗或特誤處代。
敗:去 tryCatch 致連崩→上碼有驗隙。修源,非症。
七:驗早敗重構
行試套以確誤路:
# Verify error messages are triggered
testthat::expect_error(calculate_summary("not_a_df"), "must be a data frame")
testthat::expect_error(calculate_summary(data.frame()), "at least one row")
testthat::expect_error(calculate_summary(mtcars, trim_pct = 2), "between 0 and 0.5")
# Verify valid inputs still work
testthat::expect_no_error(calculate_summary(mtcars, method = "mean"))
# Run full test suite
Rscript -e "devtools::test()"
得:諸試過。誤路試確壞入觸期誤信。
敗:舊試依默敗(如壞入返 NULL)→更之期新誤。
驗
- 每公函行前驗其入
- 誤信答:何敗、何處、何以、何修
-
stop()用於產誤果條件 -
warning()僅用於退化而有效之果 - 無空
tryCatch默吞誤 - 無以
suppressWarnings()代正驗 - 無默值默掩誤入
- 內不變用
stopifnot()或顯斷 - 各驗守有誤路試
- 重構後試套過
忌
- 驗過深:於信界(公 API)驗,非每內助。過驗加噪損性
- 無境誤信:
"Invalid input"迫呼者猜。必含參名、期類/域、所得值 - 本 stop 而用 warning:若函於警後返荒→呼者默得誤。用
stop()令呼者定處 - tryCatch 吞誤:
tryCatch(..., error = function(e) NULL)隱蟲。若必捕→記或加境再擲 - 忘 call. = FALSE:R 中
stop("msg")默含呼,於末用者嘈。用者面函用call. = FALSE。cli::cli_abort()自行此 - 於試而非碼中驗:試驗行而不護產呼者。驗屬函本身
- 混雜系上誤 R 二:WSL 或 Docker 中
Rscript或解為跨平包而非原 R。以which Rscript && Rscript --version察。為可靠宜用原 R 二(如 Linux/WSL 上/usr/local/bin/Rscript)。R 徑設見 Setting Up Your Environment
參
write-testthat-tests- 書驗誤路之試review-pull-request- 閱碼察缺驗與默敗review-software-architecture- 系級誤處策估create-skill- 循 agentskills.io 標造新技security-audit-codebase- 與入驗重之安焦閱
GitHub Repository
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