This patch aims to improve the steps inspector output:
- The service class name is displayed at the top.
- Next to each step is displayed the time it took to run said step.
- Steps that didn’t run are hidden.
- `#inspect` automatically outputs the error when it is present.
This patch adds a new step to services named `try`.
It’s useful to rescue exceptions that some steps could raise. That way,
if an exception is caught, the service will stop its execution and can
be inspected like with any other steps.
Just wrap the steps that can raise with a `try` block:
```ruby
try do
step :step_that_can_raise
step :another_step_that_can_raise
end
```
By default, `try` will catch any exception inheriting from
`StandardError`, but we can specify what exceptions to catch:
```ruby
try(ArgumentError, RuntimeError) do
step :will_raise
end
```
An outcome matcher has been added: `on_exceptions`. By default it will
be executed for any exception caught by the `try` step.
Here also, we can specify what exceptions to catch:
```ruby
on_exceptions(ArgumentError, RuntimeError) do |exception|
…
end
```
Finally, an RSpec matcher has been added:
```ruby
it { is_expected.to fail_with_exception }
# or
it { is_expected.to fail_with_exception(ArgumentError) }
```
This patch replaces the parameters provided to a service through
`params` by the contract object.
That way, it allows better consistency when accessing input params. For
example, if you have a service without a contract, to access a
parameter, you need to use `params[:my_parameter]`. But with a contract,
you do this through `contract.my_parameter`. Now, with this patch,
you’ll be able to access it through `params.my_parameter` or
`params[:my_parameter]`.
Some methods have been added to the contract object to better mimic a
Hash. That way, when accessing/using `params`, you don’t have to think
too much about it:
- `params.my_key` is also accessible through `params[:my_key]`.
- `params.my_key = value` can also be done through `params[:my_key] =
value`.
- `#slice` and `#merge` are available.
- `#to_hash` has been implemented, so the contract object will be
automatically cast as a hash by Ruby depending on the context. For
example, with an AR model, you can do this: `user.update(**params)`.
Currently in services, we don’t make a distinction between input
parameters, options and dependencies.
This can lead to user input modifying the service behavior, whereas it
was not the developer intention.
This patch addresses the issue by changing how data is provided to
services:
- `params` is now used to hold all data coming from outside (typically
user input from a controller) and a contract will take its values from
`params`.
- `options` is a new key to provide options to a service. This typically
allows changing a service behavior at runtime. It is, of course,
totally optional.
- `dependencies` is actually anything else provided to the service (like
`guardian`) and available directly from the context object.
The `service_params` helper in controllers has been updated to reflect
those changes, so most of the existing services didn’t need specific
changes.
The options block has the same DSL as contracts, as it’s also based on
`ActiveModel`. There aren’t any validations, though. Here’s an example:
```ruby
options do
attribute :allow_changing_hidden, :boolean, default: false
end
```
And here’s an example of how to call a service with the new keys:
```ruby
MyService.call(params: { key1: value1, … }, options: { my_option: true }, guardian:, …)
```
While using `OpenStruct` is nice, it’s generally not a very good idea as
it usually leads to performance problems.
The `OpenStruct` source code even says basically to avoid it.
Since the context object is crucial in our services, this patch replaces
`OpenStruct` with a custom implementation instead.
Loïc Guitaut