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+---
+synopsis: "Distinguish between explicit throws and errors that happened while evaluating a throw"
+cls: 1511
+credits: Qyriad
+category: Improvements
+---
+
+Previously, errors caused by an expression like `throw "invalid argument"` were treated like an error that happened simply while some builtin function was being called:
+
+```
+let
+ throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
+in throwMsg "linuz"
+
+error:
+ … while calling the 'throw' builtin
+ at «string»:2:17:
+ 1| let
+ 2| throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
+ | ^
+ 3| in throwMsg "linuz"
+
+ error: linuz isn't the right package
+```
+
+But the error didn't just happen "while" calling the `throw` builtin — it's a throw error!
+Now it looks like this:
+
+```
+let
+ throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
+in throwMsg "linuz"
+
+error:
+ … caused by explicit throw
+ at «string»:2:17:
+ 1| let
+ 2| throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
+ | ^
+ 3| in throwMsg "linuz"
+
+ error: linuz isn't the right package
+```
+
+This also means that incorrect usage of `throw` or errors evaluating its arguments are easily distinguishable from explicit throws:
+
+```
+let
+ throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
+in throwMsg { attrs = "error when coerced in string interpolation"; }
+
+error:
+ … while calling the 'throw' builtin
+ at «string»:2:17:
+ 1| let
+ 2| throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
+ | ^
+ 3| in throwMsg { attrs = "error when coerced in string interpolation"; }
+
+ … while evaluating a path segment
+ at «string»:2:24:
+ 1| let
+ 2| throwMsg = p: throw "${p} isn't the right package";
+ | ^
+ 3| in throwMsg { attrs = "error when coerced in string interpolation"; }
+
+ error: cannot coerce a set to a string: { attrs = "error when coerced in string interpolation"; }
+```
+
+Here, instead of an actual thrown error, a type error happens first (trying to coerce an attribute set to a string), but that type error happened *while* calling `throw`.