Labels on multiple source files

[LukeMathWalker]

miette supports adding multiple labels to an error, but there seems to be a baked-in assumption that all labels refer to the same source file.

This is proving to be a limitation for a usecase of mine: highlight in the error both the usage location (i.e. where a function is called) and the definition location. To make a practical example: report in an error a function parameter as being of the wrong type (by labelling the value passed in as parameter at the usage location) while reporting, alongside it, the expected parameter type in the definition location (once again using a label).

Is this too niche or would there be an interest in supporting it? It would probably require a fair amount of breaking changes (e.g. Diagnostic::source_code could have to return an optional iterator, labels will have to store the associated source code, etc.). You can see a potential implementation approach in ariadne (their multifile code example). They render them sequentially:

[LukeMathWalker]

I tried to work around the issue by using related errors. It could work, but some adjustments would be required to the way related errors are displayed (or, most likely, I'd have to roll my own custom ReportHandler implementation)

Using an example from my project:

Error: 
  × I do not know how to handle the type (`Generic("T")`) of one of the
  │ parameters for `app::stream_file::<std::path::PathBuf>`.
   ╭─[src/lib.rs:7:1]
 7 │ pub fn blueprint() -> AppBlueprint {
 8 │     AppBlueprint::new().route(callable!(crate::stream_file::<std::path::PathBuf>), "/home")
   ·                               ─────────────────────────┬─────────────────────────
   ·                                                        ╰── The callable was registered here
 9 │ }
   ╰────

Error: 
  × The definition
   ╭─[src/lib.rs:2:1]
 2 │     
 3 │ ╭─▶ pub fn stream_file<T>(_inner: T) -> http::Response<hyper::body::Body> {
 4 │ │       todo!()
 5 │ ├─▶ }
   · ╰──── The callable was defined here
 6 │     
   ╰────

It is unclear, from the graphical output, that the latter error is actually a sub-error of the first one. They have the same heading (Error:) and they appear at the same level. Indentation might help, perhaps?

[zkat]

This seems related to https://github.com/zkat/miette/pull/171! Maybe some input there would be helpful?

[LukeMathWalker]

#171 is indeed related to the possible workaround - I left some comments, but it looks quite promising already!

What about the more architecturally-impactful approach (first-class support for label labels spanning multiple source files within the same error)?

[zkat]

I think labels themselves spanning multiple files is a tough sell. Part of the point of miette is also to allow all this fancy error reporting with a simple data model, and attaching that to a nice proc macro. Miette used to be a bit more flexible about this stuff, but it was way more complex, and I'm more happy where it sits now.

[LukeMathWalker]

Rephrasing, just to make sure I understand the concern: you are worried that supporting labels across multiple files (a niche-r usecase) will impact the ergonomics of the most common usecase (single file), therefore making this a net-negative tradeoff?

[zkat]

correct. Older versions of miette supported this, and it was more complicated than it was worth. I think exploring things like #171 and such is a better alternative here.

[LHolten]

You can actually have labels in multiple files with current miette. To make it work you need to create a SourceCode implementation for one big "virtual" file that maps different ranges to the actual files. Then the SourceSpan in your Diagnostic should be offset + len in this "virtual" file and it will just work. For example implementations you can look at nushell or my own compiler here.

When #324 is merged it will even show the correct file header above each context.