assert: support custom errors

This commit adds special handling of Error instances when passed
as the message argument to assert functions. With this commit,
if an Error is passed as the message, then that Error is thrown
instead of an AssertionError.

PR-URL: https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/15304
Reviewed-By: Colin Ihrig <cjihrig@gmail.com>
Reviewed-By: Ruben Bridgewater <ruben@bridgewater.de>

doc/api/assert.md

@@ -101,7 +101,9 @@ assert.deepEqual(obj1, obj4);
 
 If the values are not equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown with a `message`
 property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the `message`
-parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned.
+parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the `message`
+parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead of the
+`AssertionError`.
 
 ## assert.deepStrictEqual(actual, expected[, message])
 <!-- YAML
@@ -176,7 +178,9 @@ assert.deepStrictEqual(NaN, NaN);
 
 If the values are not equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown with a `message`
 property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the `message`
-parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned.
+parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the `message`
+parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead of the
+`AssertionError`.
 
 ## assert.doesNotThrow(block[, error][, message])
 <!-- YAML
@@ -270,7 +274,9 @@ assert.equal({ a: { b: 1 } }, { a: { b: 1 } });
 
 If the values are not equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown with a `message`
 property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the `message`
-parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned.
+parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the `message`
+parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead of the
+`AssertionError`.
 
 ## assert.fail([message])
 ## assert.fail(actual, expected[, message[, operator[, stackStartFunction]]])
@@ -284,13 +290,15 @@ added: v0.1.21
 * `stackStartFunction` {function} (default: `assert.fail`)
 
 Throws an `AssertionError`. If `message` is falsy, the error message is set as
-the values of `actual` and `expected` separated by the provided `operator`.
-If just the two `actual` and `expected` arguments are provided, `operator` will
-default to `'!='`. If `message` is provided only it will be used as the error
-message, the other arguments will be stored as properties on the thrown object.
-If `stackStartFunction` is provided, all stack frames above that function will
-be removed from stacktrace (see [`Error.captureStackTrace`]). If no arguments
-are given, the default message `Failed` will be used.
+the values of `actual` and `expected` separated by the provided `operator`. If
+the `message` parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown
+instead of the `AssertionError`. If just the two `actual` and `expected`
+arguments are provided, `operator` will default to `'!='`. If `message` is
+provided only it will be used as the error message, the other arguments will be
+stored as properties on the thrown object. If `stackStartFunction` is provided,
+all stack frames above that function will be removed from stacktrace (see
+[`Error.captureStackTrace`]). If no arguments are given, the default message
+`Failed` will be used.
 
 ```js
 const assert = require('assert');
@@ -303,6 +311,9 @@ assert.fail(1, 2, 'fail');
 
 assert.fail(1, 2, 'whoops', '>');
 // AssertionError [ERR_ASSERTION]: whoops
+
+assert.fail(1, 2, new TypeError('need array'));
+// TypeError: need array
 ```
 
 *Note*: Is the last two cases `actual`, `expected`, and `operator` have no
@@ -414,7 +425,9 @@ assert.notDeepEqual(obj1, obj4);
 
 If the values are deeply equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown with a `message`
 property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the `message`
-parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned.
+parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the `message`
+parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead of the
+`AssertionError`.
 
 ## assert.notDeepStrictEqual(actual, expected[, message])
 <!-- YAML
@@ -455,9 +468,11 @@ assert.notDeepStrictEqual({ a: 1 }, { a: '1' });
 // OK
 ```
 
-If the values are deeply and strictly equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown
-with a `message` property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If
-the `message` parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned.
+If the values are deeply and strictly equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown with
+a `message` property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the
+`message` parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the
+`message` parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead
+of the `AssertionError`.
 
 ## assert.notEqual(actual, expected[, message])
 <!-- YAML
@@ -485,7 +500,9 @@ assert.notEqual(1, '1');
 
 If the values are equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown with a `message`
 property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the `message`
-parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned.
+parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the `message`
+parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead of the
+`AssertionError`.
 
 ## assert.notStrictEqual(actual, expected[, message])
 <!-- YAML
@@ -513,7 +530,9 @@ assert.notStrictEqual(1, '1');
 
 If the values are strictly equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown with a
 `message` property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the
-`message` parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned.
+`message` parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the
+`message` parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead
+of the `AssertionError`.
 
 ## assert.ok(value[, message])
 <!-- YAML
@@ -527,7 +546,9 @@ Tests if `value` is truthy. It is equivalent to
 
 If `value` is not truthy, an `AssertionError` is thrown with a `message`
 property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the `message`
-parameter is `undefined`, a default error message is assigned.
+parameter is `undefined`, a default error message is assigned. If the `message`
+parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead of the
+`AssertionError`.
 
 ```js
 const assert = require('assert');
@@ -570,7 +591,9 @@ assert.strictEqual(1, '1');
 
 If the values are not strictly equal, an `AssertionError` is thrown with a
 `message` property set equal to the value of the `message` parameter. If the
-`message` parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned.
+`message` parameter is undefined, a default error message is assigned. If the
+`message` parameter is an instance of an `Error` then it will be thrown instead
+of the `AssertionError`.
 
 ## assert.throws(block[, error][, message])
 <!-- YAML

lib/assert.js

@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ const assert = module.exports = ok;
 // display purposes.
 
 function innerFail(actual, expected, message, operator, stackStartFunction) {
+  if (message instanceof Error) throw message;
+
   throw new errors.AssertionError({
     message,
     actual,

test/parallel/test-assert-fail.js

@@ -28,6 +28,17 @@ common.expectsError(() => {
   expected: undefined
 });
 
+// One arg = Error
+common.expectsError(() => {
+  assert.fail(new TypeError('custom message'));
+}, {
+  type: TypeError,
+  message: 'custom message',
+  operator: undefined,
+  actual: undefined,
+  expected: undefined
+});
+
 // Two args only, operator defaults to '!='
 common.expectsError(() => {
   assert.fail('first', 'second');
@@ -52,6 +63,17 @@ common.expectsError(() => {
   expected: 'ignored'
 });
 
+// Three args with custom Error
+common.expectsError(() => {
+  assert.fail(typeof 1, 'object', new TypeError('another custom message'));
+}, {
+  type: TypeError,
+  message: 'another custom message',
+  operator: undefined,
+  actual: 'number',
+  expected: 'object'
+});
+
 // No third arg (but a fourth arg)
 common.expectsError(() => {
   assert.fail('first', 'second', undefined, 'operator');

test/parallel/test-assert.js

@@ -645,6 +645,34 @@ try {
                      'Message incorrectly marked as generated');
 }
 
+{
+  let threw = false;
+  const rangeError = new RangeError('my range');
+
+  // verify custom errors
+  try {
+    assert.strictEqual(1, 2, rangeError);
+  } catch (e) {
+    assert.strictEqual(e, rangeError);
+    threw = true;
+    assert.ok(e instanceof RangeError, 'Incorrect error type thrown');
+  }
+  assert.ok(threw);
+  threw = false;
+
+  // verify AssertionError is the result from doesNotThrow with custom Error
+  try {
+    assert.doesNotThrow(() => {
+      throw new TypeError('wrong type');
+    }, TypeError, rangeError);
+  } catch (e) {
+    threw = true;
+    assert.ok(e.message.includes(rangeError.message));
+    assert.ok(e instanceof assert.AssertionError);
+  }
+  assert.ok(threw);
+}
+
 {
   // Verify that throws() and doesNotThrow() throw on non-function block
   function typeName(value) {