BbQ.Outcome 1.0.4

Outcome

A modern C# functional result type inspired by ErrorOr.
It builds on the excellent foundation of ErrorOr by adding async workflows, LINQ query syntax, deconstruction, Source Link, and multi-targeting — making error-aware programming feel like a first-class citizen in modern .NET.

❓ Why Outcome?

ErrorOr pioneered the idea of replacing exceptions with a discriminated union of either a value or errors.
Outcome takes this idea further:

• Structured errors: Rich Error record with Code, Description, and Severity.
• Async composition: BindAsync, MapAsync, CombineAsync for natural async pipelines.
• LINQ integration: Native Select/SelectMany support for sync + async queries.
• Deconstruction: Tuple-style unpacking (isSuccess, value, errors) for ergonomic handling.
• Friendly ToString: Human-readable logging like Success: 42 or Errors: [DIV_ZERO: Division by zero].
• Multi-targeting: Works across netstandard2.0, net6.0, and net8.0.
• Source Link enabled: Step directly into source when debugging NuGet packages.
• Source generator support: Auto-generate Error<T> helper properties from enums with the [QbqOutcome] attribute.

💡 Example

var query =
    from x in ParseAsync("10")
    from y in DivideAsync(x, 2)
    select y * 2;

var (ok, value, errors) = await query;

Console.WriteLine(ok
    ? $"Result: {value}"
    : $"Errors: {string.Join("; ", errors.Select(e => e.Description))}");

Output:

Result: 10

💾 Installation

dotnet add package BbQ.Outcome

🧩 Source Generator: Error Helper Properties

The [QbqOutcome] attribute enables automatic generation of Error<TCode> helper properties for enums. This eliminates boilerplate and keeps error definitions DRY.

Usage

Mark your error enum with [QbqOutcome]:

[QbqOutcome]
public enum ApiErrorCode
{
    /// <summary>
    /// The requested resource was not found.
    /// </summary>
    NotFound,

    /// <summary>
    /// The user does not have permission to access this resource.
    /// </summary>
    Unauthorized,

    /// <summary>
    /// An internal server error occurred.
    /// </summary>
    InternalError
}

The source generator automatically creates a static class ApiErrorCodeErrors with helper properties:

// Generated code (do not edit)
public static class ApiErrorCodeErrors
{
    public static Error<ApiErrorCode> NotFoundError =>
        new Error<ApiErrorCode>(
            Code: ApiErrorCode.NotFound,
            Description: "The requested resource was not found.",
            Severity: ErrorSeverity.Error
        );

    public static Error<ApiErrorCode> UnauthorizedError =>
        new Error<ApiErrorCode>(
            Code: ApiErrorCode.Unauthorized,
            Description: "The user does not have permission to access this resource.",
            Severity: ErrorSeverity.Error
        );

    public static Error<ApiErrorCode> InternalErrorError =>
        new Error<ApiErrorCode>(
            Code: ApiErrorCode.InternalError,
            Description: "An internal server error occurred.",
            Severity: ErrorSeverity.Error
        );
}

Custom Descriptions

You can specify error descriptions in two ways:

1. Using XML Documentation (Recommended)

[QbqOutcome]
public enum ApiErrorCode
{
    /// <summary>
    /// The requested resource was not found.
    /// </summary>
    NotFound
}

2. Using [Description] Attribute

[QbqOutcome]
public enum ApiErrorCode
{
    [System.ComponentModel.Description("Resource not found")]
    NotFound
}

The generator prioritizes [Description] attributes over XML comments. If neither is provided, it uses the enum member name as a fallback.

Custom Severity Levels

By default, all generated errors use ErrorSeverity.Error. You can customize the severity for individual enum members using the [ErrorSeverity(...)] attribute:

[QbqOutcome]
public enum ApiErrorCode
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Validation failed.
    /// </summary>
    [ErrorSeverity(ErrorSeverity.Validation)]
    ValidationFailed,

    /// <summary>
    /// The requested resource was not found.
    /// </summary>
    NotFound,  // Uses default ErrorSeverity.Error

    /// <summary>
    /// An internal server error occurred.
    /// </summary>
    [ErrorSeverity(ErrorSeverity.Critical)]
    InternalError
}

Generated code respects the specified severity levels:

// Generated code (do not edit)
public static class ApiErrorCodeErrors
{
    public static Error<ApiErrorCode> ValidationFailedError =>
        new Error<ApiErrorCode>(
            Code: ApiErrorCode.ValidationFailed,
            Description: "Validation failed.",
            Severity: ErrorSeverity.Validation  // Custom severity
        );

    public static Error<ApiErrorCode> NotFoundError =>
        new Error<ApiErrorCode>(
            Code: ApiErrorCode.NotFound,
            Description: "The requested resource was not found.",
            Severity: ErrorSeverity.Error  // Default severity
        );

    public static Error<ApiErrorCode> InternalErrorError =>
        new Error<ApiErrorCode>(
            Code: ApiErrorCode.InternalError,
            Description: "An internal server error occurred.",
            Severity: ErrorSeverity.Critical  // Custom severity
        );
}

Available Severity Levels

The ErrorSeverity enum provides the following levels:

• Info: Informational message; does not indicate a failure.
• Validation: Validation failure; the operation did not meet required conditions.
• Warning: Warning; the operation may have succeeded but with unexpected side effects.
• Error: Standard error; the operation failed and the error should be handled. (default)
• Critical: Critical error; the system may be in an inconsistent state.

Benefits

• Zero boilerplate: No manual Error<T> construction.
• Documentation-driven: Descriptions are extracted from XML doc comments (<summary> tags) or [Description] attributes.
• Flexibility: Choose between explicit [Description] attributes or self-documenting XML comments.
• Severity control: Customize error severity per enum member with [ErrorSeverity(...)].
• Consistent naming: Property names follow the pattern {EnumMember}Error.
• Type-safe: Full compile-time type checking with Error<YourEnumType>.

How It Works

1. The generator scans for enums decorated with [QbqOutcome].
2. For each enum member, it extracts:
   • Description (in priority order):
     1. [Description("...")] attribute if present
     2. <summary> from XML documentation comments
     3. Enum member name as fallback
   • Severity from [ErrorSeverity(...)] attribute (defaults to ErrorSeverity.Error)
3. It generates a static helper class with pre-constructed Error<T> properties using named parameters.
4. All special characters in descriptions are properly escaped for C# string literals.

🔁 Common Patterns

Async Pipelines with Bind

public async Task<Outcome<User>> GetAndValidateUserAsync(Guid userId)
{
    return await GetUserAsync(userId)
        .BindAsync(user => ValidateUserAsync(user))
        .BindAsync(user => EnrichUserAsync(user));
}

Pattern Matching with Match

var outcome = await CreateUserAsync(email, name);

string message = outcome.Match(
    onSuccess: user => $"Created user {user.Name}",
    onError: errors => $"Failed: {string.Join(", ", errors.Select(e => e.Description))}"
);

LINQ Queries

var results = from user in GetUsersAsync()
              from validated in ValidateAsync(user)
              select validated;

var (ok, users, errors) = await results;

Deconstruction

var (success, value, errors) = outcome;

if (success)
{
    Console.WriteLine($"Success: {value}");
}
else
{
    foreach (var error in errors)
    {
        Console.WriteLine($"[{error.Severity}] {error.Code}: {error.Description}");
    }
}

🔗 Integration with CQRS

When using BbQ.Cqrs, combine Outcome with commands and queries for comprehensive error handling:

// Error codes
[QbqOutcome]
public enum UserErrors
{
    [Description("Email already in use")]
    [ErrorSeverity(ErrorSeverity.Validation)]
    EmailAlreadyExists
}

// Command returns Outcome<T>
public class CreateUserCommand : ICommand<Outcome<User>>
{
    public string Email { get; set; }
}

// Handler uses source-generated errors
public class CreateUserCommandHandler : IRequestHandler<CreateUserCommand, Outcome<User>>
{
    public async Task<Outcome<User>> Handle(CreateUserCommand request, CancellationToken ct)
    {
        if (await UserExists(request.Email))
        {
            return UserErrorsErrors.EmailAlreadyExistsError.ToOutcome<User>();
        }
        
        return Outcome<User>.From(await CreateUser(request.Email));
    }
}

📚 Learn More

• Strongly Typed Errors Guide - Best practices for error handling
• BbQ.Cqrs Documentation - Using Outcome with CQRS