Error Handling

Overview

ChameleonDB provides rich, structured errors with:

Specific error types for different failure modes
Clear error messages with context
Actionable suggestions for resolution
Programmatic error inspection via error codes

Error Categories

Validation Errors

Occur before SQL generation when input doesn’t match schema.

error

Generic validation failure (field type, length, format)

error

Value type doesn’t match field type definition

error

String value exceeds maximum length

error

Invalid format (e.g., UUID, email, ISO8601)

error

Field doesn’t exist in entity schema

error

Entity doesn’t exist in schema

Constraint Errors

Occur at database level when constraints are violated.

error

Value already exists (UNIQUE constraint violation)

error

Required field is missing or null

error

Referenced record doesn’t exist

error

Cannot delete/update record with dependent records

Safety Errors

Occur when safety guards prevent potentially dangerous operations.

error

Operation blocked by safety guard (e.g., UPDATE/DELETE without WHERE)

Execution Errors

error

Record to update/delete doesn’t exist

error

Concurrent modification detected (future: optimistic locking)

Error Inspection

Type Assertions

Check for specific error types:

import (
    "log"
    
    "github.com/chameleon-db/chameleondb/chameleon/pkg/engine/mutation"
)

result, err := eng.Insert("User").
    Set("email", "duplicate@mail.com").
    Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    // Check for unique constraint violation
    if uniqueErr, ok := err.(*mutation.UniqueConstraintError); ok {
        log.Printf("Email already exists: %s", uniqueErr.Field)
        log.Printf("Conflicting record ID: %v", uniqueErr.ConflictingRow["id"])
        return
    }
    
    // Check for foreign key violation
    if fkErr, ok := err.(*mutation.ForeignKeyError); ok {
        log.Printf("Invalid reference: %s", fkErr.Field)
        log.Printf("Referenced entity: %s", fkErr.ReferencedEntity)
        return
    }
    
    // Generic error
    log.Fatal(err)
}

Error Codes

Use error codes for programmatic handling:

import "github.com/chameleon-db/chameleondb/chameleon/pkg/engine/mutation"

_, err := eng.Insert("User").Set("email", "test@mail.com").Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    code := mutation.ErrorCode(err)
    
    switch code {
    case "UNIQUE_CONSTRAINT_VIOLATION":
        log.Println("Email already exists")
    case "TYPE_MISMATCH":
        log.Println("Invalid data type")
    case "NOT_NULL_VIOLATION":
        log.Println("Missing required field")
    case "FOREIGN_KEY_VIOLATION":
        log.Println("Referenced record doesn't exist")
    default:
        log.Printf("Unexpected error: %s", code)
    }
}

Error Helpers

Use helper functions to check error categories:

import "github.com/chameleon-db/chameleondb/chameleon/pkg/engine/mutation"

_, err := eng.Update("Post").Set("title", "New Title").Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    // Check if it's a safety violation
    if mutation.IsSafetyError(err) {
        log.Println("Safety guard triggered - add Filter() clause")
        return
    }
    
    // Check if it's a constraint error
    if mutation.IsConstraintError(err) {
        log.Println("Database constraint violated")
        return
    }
    
    // Check if it's any mutation error
    if mutation.IsMutationError(err) {
        log.Printf("Mutation error: %s", mutation.ErrorCode(err))
        return
    }
}

Common Error Scenarios

Unique Constraint Violation

_, err := eng.Insert("User").
    Set("id", uuid.New().String()).
    Set("email", "existing@mail.com").
    Set("name", "John Doe").
    Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    if uniqueErr, ok := err.(*mutation.UniqueConstraintError); ok {
        fmt.Printf(
            "Email %s is already taken by user %v\n",
            uniqueErr.Value,
            uniqueErr.ConflictingRow["id"],
        )
        // Suggestion: Use a different email or update the existing user
    }
}

// Error message:
// UniqueConstraintError: Field 'email' must be unique
//   Value: existing@mail.com
//   Conflict: User(id=550e8400-e29b-41d4-a716-446655440000) already has this value
//   Suggestion: Use a different value or update the existing record

Type Mismatch

_, err := eng.Insert("User").
    Set("age", "thirty-five"). // Should be int
    Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    if typeErr, ok := err.(*mutation.TypeMismatchError); ok {
        fmt.Printf(
            "Field %s expects %s but got %s\n",
            typeErr.Field,
            typeErr.ExpectedType,
            typeErr.ReceivedType,
        )
        fmt.Printf("Suggestion: %s\n", typeErr.Suggestion)
    }
}

// Error message:
// TypeMismatchError: Field 'age'
//   Expected type: int
//   Received type: string (value: "thirty-five")
//   Suggestion: Use an integer value

Foreign Key Violation

_, err := eng.Insert("Post").
    Set("id", uuid.New().String()).
    Set("title", "My Post").
    Set("author_id", "non-existent-uuid"). // User doesn't exist
    Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    if fkErr, ok := err.(*mutation.ForeignKeyError); ok {
        fmt.Printf(
            "Referenced %s with %s=%v does not exist\n",
            fkErr.ReferencedEntity,
            fkErr.ReferencedField,
            fkErr.Value,
        )
    }
}

// Error message:
// ForeignKeyError: Invalid reference
//   Field: author_id
//   Referenced: User(id=non-existent-uuid)
//   The referenced User does not exist
//   Suggestion: Create the User first or use a valid user ID

Safety Guard

_, err := eng.Update("User").
    Set("status", "active").
    Execute(ctx) // No Filter() called!

if err != nil {
    if safetyErr, ok := err.(*mutation.SafetyError); ok {
        fmt.Printf("Operation blocked: %s\n", safetyErr.Operation)
        fmt.Printf("Suggestion: %s\n", safetyErr.Suggestion)
    }
}

// Error message:
// SafetyError: Operation blocked by safety guard
//   Operation: update_without_filter
//   Would affect: unknown rows (threshold: 0)
//   Message: UPDATE without filters is blocked
//   Suggestion: Add Filter() to specify which records to update

Not Null Violation

_, err := eng.Insert("User").
    Set("id", uuid.New().String()).
    // Missing required field 'email'
    Set("name", "John Doe").
    Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    if notNullErr, ok := err.(*mutation.NotNullError); ok {
        fmt.Printf("Required field missing: %s\n", notNullErr.Field)
        fmt.Printf("Suggestion: %s\n", notNullErr.Suggestion)
    }
}

// Error message:
// NotNullError: Field 'email' cannot be null
//   This field is required
//   Suggestion: Provide a value for this field

Unknown Field

_, err := eng.Insert("User").
    Set("nonexistent_field", "value").
    Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    if unknownErr, ok := err.(*mutation.UnknownFieldError); ok {
        fmt.Printf("Unknown field: %s\n", unknownErr.Field)
        fmt.Printf("Available fields: %v\n", unknownErr.Available)
    }
}

// Error message:
// UnknownFieldError: Entity 'User' has no field 'nonexistent_field'
//   Available fields: [id, email, name, age, created_at]

Best Practices

1. Handle Specific Errors First

result, err := eng.Insert("User").
    Set("email", email).
    Set("name", name).
    Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    // Handle specific errors
    switch e := err.(type) {
    case *mutation.UniqueConstraintError:
        return fmt.Errorf("email already exists")
    case *mutation.TypeMismatchError:
        return fmt.Errorf("invalid data type for %s", e.Field)
    case *mutation.NotNullError:
        return fmt.Errorf("required field %s is missing", e.Field)
    default:
        // Generic fallback
        return fmt.Errorf("failed to create user: %w", err)
    }
}

2. Use Error Codes for API Responses

import (
    "net/http"
    "encoding/json"
    
    "github.com/chameleon-db/chameleondb/chameleon/pkg/engine/mutation"
)

func createUserHandler(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
    // ... parse request ...
    
    _, err := eng.Insert("User").
        Set("email", email).
        Set("name", name).
        Execute(r.Context())
    
    if err != nil {
        code := mutation.ErrorCode(err)
        status := http.StatusBadRequest
        
        switch code {
        case "UNIQUE_CONSTRAINT_VIOLATION":
            status = http.StatusConflict
        case "TYPE_MISMATCH":
            status = http.StatusBadRequest
        case "NOT_NULL_VIOLATION":
            status = http.StatusBadRequest
        default:
            status = http.StatusInternalServerError
        }
        
        w.WriteHeader(status)
        json.NewEncoder(w).Encode(map[string]string{
            "error": err.Error(),
            "code":  code,
        })
        return
    }
    
    w.WriteHeader(http.StatusCreated)
}

3. Log Errors with Context

import "log/slog"

_, err := eng.Update("Post").
    Filter("id", "eq", postID).
    Set("published", true).
    Execute(ctx)

if err != nil {
    slog.Error("failed to publish post",
        "error", err,
        "code", mutation.ErrorCode(err),
        "post_id", postID,
        "is_constraint", mutation.IsConstraintError(err),
    )
}

4. Provide User-Friendly Messages

func friendlyErrorMessage(err error) string {
    switch e := err.(type) {
    case *mutation.UniqueConstraintError:
        return fmt.Sprintf("%s is already taken", e.Field)
    case *mutation.TypeMismatchError:
        return fmt.Sprintf("%s must be a %s", e.Field, e.ExpectedType)
    case *mutation.NotNullError:
        return fmt.Sprintf("%s is required", e.Field)
    case *mutation.ForeignKeyError:
        return fmt.Sprintf("Referenced %s does not exist", e.ReferencedEntity)
    case *mutation.SafetyError:
        return "Operation blocked for safety reasons"
    default:
        return "An unexpected error occurred"
    }
}

Error Reference

Error Codes

Code	Error Type	Description
`VALIDATION_ERROR`	ValidationError	Generic validation failure
`TYPE_MISMATCH`	TypeMismatchError	Value type doesn’t match field
`LENGTH_EXCEEDED`	LengthExceededError	String too long
`FORMAT_ERROR`	FormatError	Invalid format (UUID, email, etc.)
`UNIQUE_CONSTRAINT_VIOLATION`	UniqueConstraintError	Duplicate value
`NOT_NULL_VIOLATION`	NotNullError	Required field missing
`FOREIGN_KEY_VIOLATION`	ForeignKeyError	Referenced record doesn’t exist
`FOREIGN_KEY_CONSTRAINT_VIOLATION`	ForeignKeyConstraintError	Cannot delete record with dependents
`UNKNOWN_FIELD`	UnknownFieldError	Field not in schema
`UNKNOWN_ENTITY`	UnknownEntityError	Entity not in schema
`NOT_FOUND`	NotFoundError	Record not found
`CONFLICT`	ConflictError	Concurrent modification
`SAFETY_VIOLATION`	SafetyError	Safety guard triggered

Complete Example

package main

import (
    "context"
    "fmt"
    "log"
    
    "github.com/chameleon-db/chameleondb/chameleon/pkg/engine"
    "github.com/chameleon-db/chameleondb/chameleon/pkg/engine/mutation"
    "github.com/google/uuid"
)

func createUser(eng *engine.Engine, email, name string) error {
    ctx := context.Background()
    
    result, err := eng.Insert("User").
        Set("id", uuid.New().String()).
        Set("email", email).
        Set("name", name).
        Execute(ctx)
    
    if err != nil {
        // Handle specific errors
        switch e := err.(type) {
        case *mutation.UniqueConstraintError:
            return fmt.Errorf(
                "email %s is already registered (user %v)",
                e.Value,
                e.ConflictingRow["id"],
            )
        
        case *mutation.TypeMismatchError:
            return fmt.Errorf(
                "invalid %s: expected %s, got %s",
                e.Field,
                e.ExpectedType,
                e.ReceivedType,
            )
        
        case *mutation.NotNullError:
            return fmt.Errorf("required field %s is missing", e.Field)
        
        case *mutation.UnknownFieldError:
            return fmt.Errorf(
                "unknown field %s (valid: %v)",
                e.Field,
                e.Available,
            )
        
        default:
            // Log full error for debugging
            log.Printf("Unexpected error [%s]: %v", 
                mutation.ErrorCode(err), err)
            return fmt.Errorf("failed to create user")
        }
    }
    
    log.Printf("Created user %v with email %s", result.ID, email)
    return nil
}

func main() {
    eng, _ := engine.NewEngine()
    defer eng.Close()
    
    // ... connect to database ...
    
    // This will succeed
    if err := createUser(eng, "new@mail.com", "New User"); err != nil {
        log.Println(err)
    }
    
    // This will fail with UniqueConstraintError
    if err := createUser(eng, "new@mail.com", "Duplicate User"); err != nil {
        log.Println(err)
        // Output: email new@mail.com is already registered (user 550e8400-...)
    }
}

Go SDK

Rust Core

Overview

Error Categories

Validation Errors

Constraint Errors

Safety Errors

Execution Errors

Error Inspection

Type Assertions

Error Codes

Error Helpers

Common Error Scenarios

Unique Constraint Violation

Type Mismatch

Foreign Key Violation

Safety Guard

Not Null Violation

Unknown Field

Best Practices

1. Handle Specific Errors First

2. Use Error Codes for API Responses

3. Log Errors with Context

4. Provide User-Friendly Messages

Error Reference

Error Codes

Complete Example

See Also

​Overview

​Error Categories

​Validation Errors

​Constraint Errors

​Safety Errors

​Execution Errors

​Error Inspection

​Type Assertions

​Error Codes

​Error Helpers

​Common Error Scenarios

​Unique Constraint Violation

​Type Mismatch

​Foreign Key Violation

​Safety Guard

​Not Null Violation

​Unknown Field

​Best Practices

​1. Handle Specific Errors First

​2. Use Error Codes for API Responses

​3. Log Errors with Context

​4. Provide User-Friendly Messages

​Error Reference

​Error Codes

​Complete Example

​See Also

Overview

Error Categories

Validation Errors

Constraint Errors

Safety Errors

Execution Errors

Error Inspection

Type Assertions

Error Codes

Error Helpers

Common Error Scenarios

Unique Constraint Violation

Type Mismatch

Foreign Key Violation

Safety Guard

Not Null Violation

Unknown Field

Best Practices

1. Handle Specific Errors First

2. Use Error Codes for API Responses

3. Log Errors with Context

4. Provide User-Friendly Messages

Error Reference

Error Codes

Complete Example

See Also