java-native-access / java-native-access/jna

JNA should include std::exception::what() in thrown `java.lang.Error`

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feature request
Dominant language
Java
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Description

As a caller of a cpp hunk of math I want std::exceptions to be nicely translated by JNA across the bindings so that I can more easily debug runtime problems.

I have some cpp code that I've updated to throw std::exception's that contain valuable data in their what() clause. What I was hoping JNA would do is this:

//mylib.dll
#include <exception>

extern "C" __declspec(dllexport) 
const void MYCOMPANY_compute_eigen_values_or_something()
{
  throw std::exception("message from native code: kablamo!")
}
interface MyLib: Library {
  public void MYCOMPANY_compute_eigen_values_or_something()
}
var lib = Native.loadLibrary("mylib", MyLib.class, options)
try { lib.MYCOMPANY_compute_eigen_values_or_something() }
catch(Throwable ex){
  System.out.println(ex)
}

expected: java.lang.Error: In native code: message from native code: kablamo!
actual: java.lang.Error: Invalid memory access

... on: Windows 10 1903, JNA 4.2.2


My work around:
Wrap my code in a try { } catch { }, save it to a global variable, and expose a function GetLastError() that I then call from the handler. If you combine this with StackWalker you can even get a java--ish native code stack trace in your preconditions/postconditions. From the java side, I add my own InvocationMapper to catch JNA thrown java.lang.Errors, call GetLastError() then throw a new exception with the results.

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start at the Native.loadLibrary binding path and trace how a native std::exception becomes java.lang.Error. Compare that path with the issue's InvocationMapper and GetLastError workaround. Done means the thrown error includes std::exception::what() instead of only reporting invalid memory access, with the behavior checked against the Windows example.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
cpp, java
Domain
backend, tooling
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
4/5
Estimated time
3-5 days
Activity status
Stale
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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