Audit and standardize exception handling in instructor library

[jxnl]

Important

Enhances exception handling in the instructor library by adding new exception types and ensuring backward compatibility, with tests to verify these changes.

• Behavior:
  • Introduces ResponseParsingError, MultimodalError, and AsyncValidationError in exceptions.py for specific error scenarios.
  • Ensures backward compatibility by inheriting from both ValueError and InstructorError.
• Exception Handling:
  • Updates function_calls.py and multimodal.py to raise new exceptions for specific error cases.
  • Adds detailed docstrings and attributes to new exceptions for better debugging.
• Testing:
  • Adds test_exception_backwards_compat.py to verify backward compatibility and correct inheritance of new exceptions.
  • Tests ensure new exceptions can be caught as ValueError and InstructorError.

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Status	Name	Latest Commit	Updated (UTC)
❌ Deployment failed View logs	instructor	35ae7e8	Nov 06 2025, 05:42 AM

[ellipsis-dev]

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1. docs/concepts/error_handling.md:119

• Draft comment:
  The documentation for new exceptions (ResponseParsingError, MultimodalError, AsyncValidationError) is thorough and clear. Consider explicitly noting in each section that these exceptions remain backwards compatible by inheriting from ValueError and InstructorError.
• Reason this comment was not posted:
  Comment was not on a location in the diff, so it can't be submitted as a review comment.

2. instructor/processing/function_calls.py:290

• Draft comment:
  Replace assert statements (e.g. checking function_call.name) with explicit exception handling (such as raising a ResponseParsingError) for production reliability, since assert may be disabled in optimized runtimes.
• Reason this comment was not posted:
  Comment was not on a location in the diff, so it can't be submitted as a review comment.

3. instructor/core/exceptions.py:520

• Draft comment:
  The new exception classes (ResponseParsingError and MultimodalError) are well documented with clear attributes and example usage. Ensure that the error messages remain consistent across the library.
• Reason this comment was not posted:
  Comment did not seem useful. Confidence is useful = 30% <= threshold 85% This comment is asking the author to ensure consistency in error messages across the library. While it is important to maintain consistency, the comment is not specific about what needs to be changed or improved. It doesn't provide a specific suggestion or point out a specific issue. Therefore, it seems to be more of a general reminder rather than a specific actionable comment.

4. instructor/exceptions.py:11

• Draft comment:
  The deprecation warning in this backward compatibility module is clear. Confirm that the chosen stacklevel (2) correctly points users to the caller for proper guidance.
• Reason this comment was not posted:
  Comment was not on a location in the diff, so it can't be submitted as a review comment.

5. tests/test_exception_backwards_compat.py:12

• Draft comment:
  The tests verifying exception inheritance and catching are comprehensive and ensure backward compatibility. They effectively confirm that the new exceptions can be caught as ValueError, InstructorError, and their specific types.
• Reason this comment was not posted:
  Comment did not seem useful. Confidence is useful = 0% <= threshold 85% This comment is purely informative and does not provide any actionable feedback or suggestions for improvement. It simply praises the existing tests without offering any specific guidance or identifying any issues.

6. instructor/processing/multimodal.py:115

• Draft comment:
  Using @lru_cache on methods like from_url and from_path can improve performance, but be cautious of potential staleness if the underlying file or URL content changes. Consider whether cache invalidation is needed in some scenarios.
• Reason this comment was not posted:
  Confidence changes required: 80% <= threshold 85% None

7. instructor/core/__init__.py:41

• Draft comment:
  Typo found: 'apatch' in line 41 looks like it might be an accidental entry or typo. Please verify if this should be corrected.
• Reason this comment was not posted:
  Comment was not on a location in the diff, so it can't be submitted as a review comment.

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