Return proper error objects instead regular objects / arrays / strings.

[jsdalton]

It would be great if this library returned Error objects with useful types and functionality (e.g. ValidationError, DatabaseError) instead of just objects and/or arrays as present.

Here's a great example of how the present implementation creates a pain point:

var resourceful = require('resourceful');

// Caution: Script creates db named 'test_dummy'
resourceful.use('couchdb', { database: 'test_dummy' });

var db = resourceful.connection.connection;

var Author = resourceful.define('author');
Author.string('name', { required: true });

db.create(function (err, result) {
  Author.create({
    id: 'Marak',
    name: 'Marak',
  }, function(err, marak){
    marak.name = undefined;

    // Save resource fails because of validation error
    marak.save(function(err, result){
      console.log(err); // [ { attribute: 'required', property: 'name', expected: true, actual: undefined, message: 'is required' } ]
      marak.name = 'Marak';
      db.destroy(function (err, result) {

        // Save resource fails because db does not exist
        marak.save(function(err, result) {
          console.log(err); // { error: 'not_found', reason: 'no_db_file', status: 404 }
          db.destroy(function(err, result) {});
        });
      });
    })
  });
});

Note that the save() method on the resource returns an array of objects on a validation error and a different object on a database error. Now imagine you're coding up an API controller that has to determine whether to return a 400 in the case of a validation error and a 500 for a database failure. The logic to make that determination would be quite awkward and ugly.

I'll observe that Mongoose returns custom error objects in situations like this (https://github.com/LearnBoost/mongoose/tree/master/lib/errors) and I've certainly read plenty of arguments in support of this approach (http://dustinsenos.com/articles/customErrorsInNode).

I also have a Python background so I'm used to making liberal use of exceptions. You guys might have your reasons for the way things are now, so this is just a feature suggestion.

[mmalecki]

+1

[RobinQu]

Express will not handle correctly with these plain objects. Won't send them to global error handlers. Wried!

[jfhbrook]

I think this can be fixed almost entirely in cradle flatiron/cradle#216

[RobinQu]

There are more than one database solution than cradle...... not to mention a large group of people are using other DBs like mongo and mysql.

[RobinQu]

resourceful may be the most "resourceful" module in flatiron series. Hope it will get better and more active.