394148 - Empty Error Console (the _Uncaught Exception_ tab/feature is missing)

Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX

(Toolkit Graveyard :: Error Console, defect)

Description

[Marius-Nicu Lungu]

User-Agent:       Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8.1.6) Gecko/20070725 Firefox/2.0.0.6
Build Identifier: Mozilla/5.0 (X11; U; Linux i686; en-US; rv:1.8.1.6) Gecko/20070725 Firefox/2.0.0.6

I'm working on understanding the DOM paradigm used in the Firefox browser.
Dwelling on my ideas, I devised a HTML page full of javascript code to test the implementation, my theories and (un)documented functions and features.

So, eventually, I run into 2 DOM bugs (it's my opinion but these should be fixed by the time the next release of the new Firefox version hits the net):
0x80570009 (NS_ERROR_XPC_BAD_CONVERT_JS)
or
0x80530003 (NS_ERROR_DOM_HIERARCHY_REQUEST_ERR).

If a javascript code in one page is going to trigger an 'uncaught exception' on a page, the user will be prompted with a popup window with one _OK_ button.
Since the user is given only one choice (to close the popup window containing the error message) and (usually) has no way to fix the problem

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. open the html document.
2. when prompted, enter a number, the bug to reproduce [1 or 2].
3. reload the document and choose the other one [2, or 1].
Actual Results:  
The browser pops up a Message Window, gives you a message to read about an 'uncaught error' and awaits for you to push the _OK_ button in order to go and do something about it, or something else (or something useful for that matter).


Expected Results:  
Nothing will happen, and the javascript console or the Error Console will show an 'uncaught exception'.

The javascript code will be allowed to run, and the window.onerror function will be triggered (based on implemeted security policies).

The user should NEVER be forced to interact with windows containing messages about errors or 'uncaught exceptions' (when the Error Console is enabled and configured for just such things).

If you're wandering what MAJOR FEATURE IS BROKEN in this example here it goes:
- the Error Console has 5 tabs (All, Errors, Warnings, Messages, |Clear);
- under the [All] tab should be a list that logs even the infamous 'uncaught exceptions', even if it was triggered by the DOM component of the browser;
- an 'uncaught exception' is an error (read bug, in our example), alas using improper naming (uncaught= 'it was CAUGHT by the error handler, TAGGED as an exception, given a NAME and an ERROR CODE, then got associated with an ERROR MESSAGE; we now even know the CONTEXT in which it was triggered, and it should be LOGGED in the Error Console');
- the popup blocker policy is broken (if I don't want pages to FORCE me to close popup windows; no matter what tricks they use or what BROWSER BUGS they trigger);
- there are at least 3 non intrusive options to show just such messages:
 1) show them in the status bar;
 2) show them on document page (with proper formatting inside the browser window);
 3) log them in the Error Console under the [_Uncaught Exceptions_] or [All] tab.

And oh yeah! While you're at it please fix the two DOM bugs that trigger the popups (less bugs results in less error messages to log in the Error Console which means quality).

DOM.html (file) Attachment
Thanks!

Comment 1

[Marius-Nicu Lungu]

Attachment: HTML Testcase

Should be able to trigger two DOM bugs and the associated nag window describing the error in Firefox versions 2.0.0.6, 2.0.0.4 and probably few more.

Comment 2

[Brian Grinstead [:bgrins]]

The Error Console has been removed in favor of the Browser Console (see Bug 1278368), and the component is going to be removed.  If this bug is also relevant in the Browser Console, please reopen and move this into Firefox -> Developer Tools: Console.

Comment 3

[Zack Weinberg (:zwol)]

I am mass-reopening and re-componenting every single one of the Toolkit:Error Console bugs that appear to have been closed without anyone even *glancing* at whether they were relevant to the Browser Console.

If you want to close a whole bunch of old bugs -- FOR ANY REASON -- it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to check EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM and make sure they are no longer valid.  Do not push that work onto the bug reporters.

(It's okay to close bugs that haven't been touched in years when they don't have enough information for you to figure out whether the problem is still relevant to the current software - the reporter probably isn't coming back to clarify.  But that is the ONLY situation where it is okay.)

(I'm going to have to do this in two steps because of the way the "change several bugs at once" form works.  Apologies for the extra bugspam.)

Comment 4

[Brian Grinstead [:bgrins]]

The Error Console feature was removed entirely from the tree in Bug 1278368 and the bugzilla component is now being removed. We’ve migrated bugs that seem to also affect the Browser Console into the devtools component, please move this over if it was missed.