Sometimes backtrace is enough to diagnose problem. But sometimes reason of crash is not obvious without knowledge what was passed to function.
Getting information what was passed to function that caused crash would be quite useful, especially in cases where reproducing is not obvious because it was caused by for example exception in network connection, weird user input or because program is depends on randomisation or processes data from external sensor.
Lets say that there is following program
def handle_changed_input(changed_input)
raise 'ops' if changed_input =~ /magic/
end
def do_something_with_user_input(input)
input = "#{input.strip}c"
handle_changed_input(input)
end
input = gets
do_something_with_user_input(input)
where user typed "magic" as input. Normally one has
test.rb:2:in `handle_changed_input': ops (RuntimeError)
from test.rb:7:in `do_something_with_user_input'
from test.rb:11:in `<main>'
as output. What one may do to show also what was passed to function? Something like
test.rb:2:in `handle_changed_input("magic")': ops (RuntimeError)
from test.rb:7:in `do_something_with_user_input("magi\n")'
from test.rb:11:in `<main>'
It would be useful in many situations (and not truly useful where parameters are not representable as strings of reasonable legth, there is a good reason why it is not enabled by default).
How one may add this functionality? It is necessary that program works as usually during normal operation and preferably there is no additional output before crash.
I tried for example
def do_something_with_user_input(input)
method(__method__).parameters.map do |_, name|
puts "#{name}=#{binding.local_variable_get(name)}"
end
raise 'ops' if input =~ /magic/
end
input = gets
found in Is there a way to access method arguments in Ruby? but it would print on every single entrance to function what both would flood output and make program significantly slower.