object-result

Result object represent either an error or a successful computation.

Usage

Results are never created directly, instead object-assign exposes two factory functions, createErr and createOk, that construct result objects representing an error and an ok respectively.

  let objectResult = require('object-result'),
      ok = objectResult.ok,
      err = objectResult.err;
 
  // creates a success result with an object used for the success value
  let goodKitty = ok({ a : 100, b : "kitty" });
 
  // creates an error result with an object used for the error value
  let badKitty = err({ msg : "bad stuff, oh no!" });

Sometimes you want to do some transformation on a success or error -- but you dont want to modify the relative success-state of the result. In this case, you would use the map/map_err methods.

  // map the goodKitty's success value from the object (from above) to just
  // a string.
  goodKitty.map(function(value) {
    return value.b;
  });
 
  // map the badKitty's error value from the object above to just a string
  badKitty.map_err(function(errVal) {
    return errVal.msg;
  });
 
  // map only effects ok's and map_err only effects err's
  // so...
 
  goodKitty.map_err(function(val) {
    return "super " + val;
  });
 
  badKitty.map(function(errMsg) {
    return "Error: " + errMsg;
  });
 
  // have no effect

Sometimes more flexibility is needed -- in particular you may need continue a computation but only if no error has occured. In this case, one should use the and_then/or_else methods.

  // and_then is good for continuing successful computations
  let newKitty = goodKitty.and_then(function(value) {
    return some_operation_that_may_fail(value);
  });
 
  // or_else is good for handling errors -- or transforming them into successes
  let newKitty = badKitty.or_else(function(value) {
    return some_operation_that_may_fix_error(value);
  });

It can be useful to chain or_else or and_then methods together. However, as a word of caution -- generally it is a mistake to chain or_else and and_then methods simultaneously. Use multiple and_then's to continue a successful computation, or use multiple or_else's to do complex error management, but don't try to do both at the same time! (it can get confusing very quickly)

Usually when you want to chain and_then with an or_else you should really be using the match method. Match is effectively and_then and or_else together, but because it isn't chained it is less suprising.

  let someKitty = goodKitty.match({
    ok  : (val) => ok(val * 2),
    err : (errVal) => ok(10)
  });