Content

try!

The try! function takes an optional or a response type and will attempt to unwrap it. Unwrapping is the act of extracting the inner value and returning it. Take the following example:

(try! (some "wrapped string"))

It will unwrap the some and return the inner "wrapped string".

try! can only successfully unwrap some and ok values. If it receives a none or an err, it will return the input value and exit the current control flow. In other words:

• If it receives a none, it returns a none and exits.
• If it receives an err, it returns that err and exits. It does not unwrap the value inside!

The following test function allows us to experiment with this behaviour. It takes a response type as input which is passed to try!. We will then call the function with an ok and an err and print the results.

(define-public (try-example (input (response uint uint)))
    (begin
        (try! input)
        (ok "end of the function")
    )
)

(print (try-example (ok u1)))
(print (try-example (err u2)))

The first print gives us the (ok "end of the function") as seen at the end of the begin expression. But the second call that passes the err gives us back the original (err u2). The try! function therefore allows you to propagate an error that occurs in a sub call, as we will see in the section on intermediary responses.