catcherr

catcherr is a term used in software development to describe a pattern, library, or utility designed to centralize error catching and handling. It refers to mechanisms that intercept failures during execution and present a uniform interface for successful results versus errors. The concept is language-agnostic and can be implemented as a wrapper, an API, or a language feature that augments traditional error propagation.

In practice, a catcherr construct typically runs a block of code and returns a value indicating success along with the result, or an error object with details such as message, type, and stack trace. In asynchronous environments, catcherr patterns are used to capture rejected promises or asynchronous exceptions and translate them into a consistent error form.

Common design approaches include wrapper functions that take another function and return a standardized result; error boundary components in UI frameworks; or language-integrated features that replace or augment try/catch semantics with a single entry point. The exact form depends on language capabilities and project goals.

Benefits of catcherr include reduced boilerplate, a consistent shape for errors, easier logging and monitoring, and simplified testing of error paths. Potential drawbacks include hiding the true flow of failures, encouraging swallowing of errors, or obscuring the source of bugs if not paired with proper context, stack traces, and selective propagation of errors.

Related concepts include exception handling, result types (such as result or either), and error boundaries in user interfaces. The term is commonly discussed in proposals, libraries, or discussions about error ergonomics rather than as a standardized language feature.