bazelbuild / bazelbuild/bazel

Beautify Bazel configuration errors

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#11,984 13 comments 4 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub
P2 team-Configurability team-Documentation type: documentation (cleanup)
Dominant language
Java
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Description

**tl;dr:** apply [beautiful error](https://bazel.build/designs/2016/05/23/beautiful-error-messages.html) principles to build failures from analysis, `select()`, configurations, user-defined flags, transitions, and so on.

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We have enough experience to identify where current errors fall short. There are straightforward ways we make them clearer, more actionable, and more closely connected to relevant documentation.

I'm starting this for configuration-related errors since this is the Bazel area I know best. More broadly I'd like to extend these principles to Bazel error culture as a whole in the interest of making Bazel more accessible.

Crowd-sourced input on confusing messages welcome!

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start with the linked “beautiful error messages” design and inventory Bazel failures in analysis, select(), configurations, user-defined flags, and transitions. Identify representative confusing messages and define actionable, documentation-linked criteria for each; the work is done when the scope, owners, and validation approach are concrete.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Domain
build-system
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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