Cause

The Effect<A, E, R> type is polymorphic in error type E, allowing flexibility in handling any desired error type. However, there is often additional information about failures that the error type E alone does not capture.

To address this, Effect uses the Cause<E> data type to store various details such as:

• Unexpected errors or defects
• Stack and execution traces
• Reasons for fiber interruptions

Effect strictly preserves all failure-related information, storing a full picture of the error context in the Cause type. This comprehensive approach enables precise analysis and handling of failures, ensuring no data is lost.

Though Cause values aren’t typically manipulated directly, they underlie errors within Effect workflows, providing access to both concurrent and sequential error details. This allows for thorough error analysis when needed.

Creating Causes

You can intentionally create an effect with a specific cause using Effect.failCause.

Example (Defining Effects with Different Causes)

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import { Effect, Cause } from "effect"
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// Define an effect that dies with an unexpected error
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//
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//      ┌─── Effect<never, never, never>
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//      ▼
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const die = Effect.failCause(Cause.die("Boom!"))
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// Define an effect that fails with an expected error
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//
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//      ┌─── Effect<never, string, never>
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//      ▼
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const fail = Effect.failCause(Cause.fail("Oh no!"))

Some causes do not influence the error type of the effect, leading to never in the error channel:

                ┌─── no error information
                ▼
Effect<never, never, never>

For instance, Cause.die does not specify an error type for the effect, while Cause.fail does, setting the error channel type accordingly.

Cause Variations

There are several causes for various errors, in this section, we will describe each of these causes.

Empty

The Empty cause signifies the absence of any errors.

Fail

The Fail<E> cause represents a failure due to an expected error of type E.

Die

The Die cause indicates a failure resulting from a defect, which is an unexpected or unintended error.

Interrupt

The Interrupt cause represents a failure due to Fiber interruption and contains the FiberId of the interrupted Fiber.

Sequential

The Sequential cause combines two causes that occurred one after the other.

For example, in an Effect.ensuring operation (analogous to try-finally), if both the try and finally sections fail, the two errors are represented in sequence by a Sequential cause.

Example (Capturing Sequential Failures with a Sequential Cause)

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import { Effect, Cause } from "effect"
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const program = Effect.failCause(Cause.fail("Oh no!")).pipe(
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  Effect.ensuring(Effect.failCause(Cause.die("Boom!"))),
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)
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Effect.runPromiseExit(program).then(console.log)
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/*
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Output:
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{
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  _id: 'Exit',
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  _tag: 'Failure',
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  cause: {
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    _id: 'Cause',
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    _tag: 'Sequential',
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    left: { _id: 'Cause', _tag: 'Fail', failure: 'Oh no!' },
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    right: { _id: 'Cause', _tag: 'Die', defect: 'Boom!' }
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  }
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}
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*/

Parallel

The Parallel cause combines two causes that occurred concurrently.

In Effect programs, two operations may run in parallel, potentially leading to multiple failures. When both computations fail simultaneously, a Parallel cause represents the concurrent errors within the effect workflow.

Example (Capturing Concurrent Failures with a Parallel Cause)

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import { Effect, Cause } from "effect"
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const program = Effect.all(
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  [Effect.failCause(Cause.fail("Oh no!")), Effect.failCause(Cause.die("Boom!"))],
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  { concurrency: 2 },
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)
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Effect.runPromiseExit(program).then(console.log)
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/*
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Output:
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{
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  _id: 'Exit',
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  _tag: 'Failure',
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  cause: {
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    _id: 'Cause',
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    _tag: 'Parallel',
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    left: { _id: 'Cause', _tag: 'Fail', failure: 'Oh no!' },
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    right: { _id: 'Cause', _tag: 'Die', defect: 'Boom!' }
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  }
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}
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*/

Retrieving the Cause of an Effect

To retrieve the cause of a failed effect, use Effect.cause. This allows you to inspect or handle the exact reason behind the failure.

Example (Retrieving and Inspecting a Failure Cause)

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import { Effect } from "effect"
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const program = Effect.gen(function* () {
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  const cause = yield* Effect.cause(Effect.fail("Oh no!"))
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  console.log(cause)
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})
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Effect.runPromise(program)
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/*
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Output:
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{ _id: 'Cause', _tag: 'Fail', failure: 'Oh no!' }
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*/

Guards

To determine the specific type of a Cause, use the guards provided in the Cause module:

• Cause.isEmpty: Checks if the cause is empty, indicating no error.
• Cause.isFailType: Identifies causes that represent an expected failure.
• Cause.isDie: Identifies causes that represent an unexpected defect.
• Cause.isInterruptType: Identifies causes related to fiber interruptions.
• Cause.isSequentialType: Checks if the cause consists of sequential errors.
• Cause.isParallelType: Checks if the cause contains parallel errors.

Example (Using Guards to Identify Cause Types)

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import { Cause } from "effect"
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const cause = Cause.fail(new Error("my message"))
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if (Cause.isFailType(cause)) {
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  console.log(cause.error.message) // Output: my message
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}

These guards allow you to accurately identify the type of a Cause, making it easier to handle various error cases in your code. Whether dealing with expected failures, unexpected defects, interruptions, or composite errors, these guards provide a clear method for assessing and managing error scenarios.

Pattern Matching

The Cause.match function provides a straightforward way to handle each case of a Cause. By defining callbacks for each possible cause type, you can respond to specific error scenarios with custom behavior.

Example (Pattern Matching on Different Causes)

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import { Cause } from "effect"
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const cause = Cause.parallel(Cause.fail(new Error("my fail message")), Cause.die("my die message"))
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console.log(
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  Cause.match(cause, {
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    onEmpty: "(empty)",
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    onFail: (error) => `(error: ${error.message})`,
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    onDie: (defect) => `(defect: ${defect})`,
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    onInterrupt: (fiberId) => `(fiberId: ${fiberId})`,
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    onSequential: (left, right) => `(onSequential (left: ${left}) (right: ${right}))`,
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    onParallel: (left, right) => `(onParallel (left: ${left}) (right: ${right})`,
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  }),
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)
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/*
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Output:
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(onParallel (left: (error: my fail message)) (right: (defect: my die message))
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*/

Pretty Printing

Clear and readable error messages are key for effective debugging. The Cause.pretty function helps by formatting error messages in a structured way, making it easier to understand failure details.

Example (Using Cause.pretty for Readable Error Messages)

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import { Cause, FiberId } from "effect"
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console.log(Cause.pretty(Cause.empty))
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/*
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Output:
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All fibers interrupted without errors.
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*/
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console.log(Cause.pretty(Cause.fail(new Error("my fail message"))))
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/*
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Output:
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Error: my fail message
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    ...stack trace...
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*/
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console.log(Cause.pretty(Cause.die("my die message")))
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/*
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Output:
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Error: my die message
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*/
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console.log(Cause.pretty(Cause.interrupt(FiberId.make(1, 0))))
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/*
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Output:
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All fibers interrupted without errors.
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*/
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console.log(Cause.pretty(Cause.sequential(Cause.fail("fail1"), Cause.fail("fail2"))))
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/*
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Output:
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Error: fail1
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Error: fail2
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*/

Retrieval of Failures and Defects

To specifically collect failures or defects from a Cause, you can use Cause.failures and Cause.defects. These functions allow you to inspect only the errors or unexpected defects that occurred.

Example (Extracting Failures and Defects from a Cause)

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import { Effect, Cause } from "effect"
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const program = Effect.gen(function* () {
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  const cause = yield* Effect.cause(
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    Effect.all([Effect.fail("error 1"), Effect.die("defect"), Effect.fail("error 2")]),
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  )
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  console.log(Cause.failures(cause))
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  console.log(Cause.defects(cause))
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})
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Effect.runPromise(program)
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/*
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Output:
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{ _id: 'Chunk', values: [ 'error 1' ] }
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{ _id: 'Chunk', values: [] }
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*/