fix: update encodeIpcError method to correctly handle Error instance (podman-desktop#10964)

Co-authored-by: Florent BENOIT <[email protected]>
Signed-off-by: Denis Golovin <[email protected]>

Author: dgolovin

packages/main/src/plugin/index.spec.ts

@@ -387,3 +387,29 @@ test('Pull image creates a task', async () => {
   } as PullEvent);
   expect(createTaskSpy.mock.results[0]?.value.status).toBe('success');
 });
+
+test('ipcMain.handle returns caught error as is if it is instance of Error', async () => {
+  const createTaskSpy = vi.spyOn(TaskManager.prototype, 'execute');
+  await pluginSystem.initExtensions(new Emitter<ConfigurationRegistry>());
+  const handle = handlers.get('tasks:execute');
+  const errorInstance = new Error('error');
+  createTaskSpy.mockImplementation(() => {
+    throw errorInstance;
+  });
+
+  const handleReturn = await handle(undefined, '1');
+  expect(handleReturn.error).toEqual(errorInstance);
+});
+
+test('ipcMain.handle returns caught error as objects message property if it is not instance of error', async () => {
+  const createTaskSpy = vi.spyOn(TaskManager.prototype, 'execute');
+  await pluginSystem.initExtensions(new Emitter<ConfigurationRegistry>());
+  const handle = handlers.get('tasks:execute');
+  const nonErrorInstance = 'error';
+  createTaskSpy.mockImplementation(() => {
+    throw nonErrorInstance;
+  });
+
+  const handleReturn = await handle(undefined, '1');
+  expect(handleReturn.error).toEqual({ message: nonErrorInstance });
+});

packages/main/src/plugin/index.ts

@@ -246,27 +246,16 @@ export class PluginSystem {
     return window.webContents;
   }
 
-  // encode the error to be sent over IPC
-  // this is needed because on the client it will display
-  // a generic error message 'Error invoking remote method' and
-  // it's not useful for end user
-  encodeIpcError(e: unknown): { name?: string; message: unknown; extra?: Record<string, unknown> } {
-    let builtError;
-    if (e instanceof Error) {
-      builtError = { name: e.name, message: e.message, extra: { ...e } };
-    } else {
-      builtError = { message: e };
-    }
-    return builtError;
-  }
-
   // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-explicit-any
-  ipcHandle(channel: string, listener: (event: IpcMainInvokeEvent, ...args: any[]) => Promise<void> | any): any {
+  ipcHandle(channel: string, listener: (event: IpcMainInvokeEvent, ...args: any[]) => Promise<void> | any): void {
     ipcMain.handle(channel, async (...args) => {
       try {
         return { result: await Promise.resolve(listener(...args)) };
-      } catch (e) {
-        return { error: this.encodeIpcError(e) };
+      } catch (error) {
+        // From error instance only message property will get through.
+        // Sending non error instance as a message property of an object triggers
+        // coercion of message property to String.
+        return error instanceof Error ? { error } : { error: { message: error } };
       }
     });
   }