[CB-13804] Always log a message when catching an exception

• Type: Improvement
• Status: Closed
• Priority: Minor
• Resolution: Won't Do
• Component/s: cordova-android, cordova-browser, cordova-ios, cordova-js, cordova-osx
• Assignee: Joey Robert Bowser
• Reporter: Chris Brody
• Created: 19/Jan/18 18:48
• Updated: 14/May/24 20:11
• Resolved: 14/May/24 20:11

Description

Looking at cordova.js in cordova-windows along with the other platforms I noticed that the JavaScript logs a message in most but not all catch blocks. Here are a few exceptions I spotted so far:

In cordova-js src/common/builder.js:

function include (parent, objects, clobber, merge) {
    each(objects, function (obj, key) {
        try {
            var result = obj.path ? require(obj.path) : {};

            // ...
        } catch (e) {
            utils.alert('Exception building Cordova JS globals: ' + e + ' for key "' + key + '"');
        }
    });
}

utils.alert would show an alert if possible, otherwise log a message. I would rather to see the JavaScript log the message regardless of whether or not it is possible to show the alert (ideally log first). Possible fix (NOT TESTED):

diff --git a/src/common/utils.js b/src/common/utils.js
index febfd91..7244b8f 100644
--- a/src/common/utils.js
+++ b/src/common/utils.js
@@ -170,12 +170,9 @@ utils.extend = (function () {
 }());
 
 /**
- * Alerts a message in any available way: alert or console.log.
+ * Alerts a message in any possible way: alert / console.log
  */
 utils.alert = function (msg) {
-    if (window.alert) {
-        window.alert(msg);
-    } else if (console && console.log) {
-        console.log(msg);
-    }
+    console && console.log && console.log(msg);
+    window.alert && window.alert(msg);
 };

Possible fixes in cordova-windows (NOT TESTED):

diff --git a/cordova-js-src/confighelper.js b/cordova-js-src/confighelper.js
index c166052..faa65e3 100644
--- a/cordova-js-src/confighelper.js
+++ b/cordova-js-src/confighelper.js
@@ -89,7 +89,11 @@ function requestFile(filePath, success, error) {
         xhr.open("get", filePath, true);
         xhr.send();
     } catch (e) {
-        fail('[Windows][cordova.js][xhrFile] Could not XHR ' + filePath + ': ' + JSON.stringify(e));
+        var msg =
+            '[Windows][cordova.js][xhrFile] Could not XHR ' + filePath + ': ' +
+                JSON.stringify(e);
+        console.error(msg);
+        fail(msg);
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/cordova-js-src/platform.js b/cordova-js-src/platform.js
index 4bc4025..dbc1c75 100644
--- a/cordova-js-src/platform.js
+++ b/cordova-js-src/platform.js
@@ -99,7 +99,9 @@ module.exports = {
             try {
                 Windows.UI.ViewManagement.ApplicationView.getForCurrentView();
                 isCoreWindowAvailable = true;
-            } catch (e) { }
+            } catch (e) {
+                console && console.log && console.log('NOTICE: CoreWindow functionality is not available');
+            }
 
             if (isCoreWindowAvailable) {
                 app.addEventListener("checkpoint", checkpointHandler);
@@ -160,6 +162,7 @@ function injectBackButtonHandler() {
                 return true;
             }
             catch (e) {
+                console && console.log && console.log('NOTICE: backbutton handler not available, ignored');
                 return false;
             }
         }

I would need some time to check for unlogged exceptions on the other platforms.

A case where I think logging should NOT be done in release build is in the clobber funciton in cordova-js/src/common/builder.js:

function clobber (obj, key, value) {
    exports.replaceHookForTesting(obj, key);
    var needsProperty = false;
    try {
        obj[key] = value;
    } catch (e) {
        needsProperty = true;
    }
    // ...

I originally spotted this issue on Windows when looking at the ApplicationView calls related to the changes in CB-12238, CB-12784, and CB-13641 along with suggested changes I raised in CB-13802.