un-useful error message compiling template

Upgrading an old application to Ember 3.26.

<span {{action 'doSomething'}}>
</span>

Expected Compiles successfully or logs useful error message

Actual

Template Compiler Error (TemplateCompiler) in my-project/application/template.hbs

Cannot read property 'start' of undefined

The problem seems to be the action. Removing it fixes the error.

Obviously we shouldn’t be doing this any more, and using a button with the on modifier instead. But the compiler error message does not help the developer find the problem and fix it.

Fix 1: Show location of error in .hbs file (line, column) Fix 2: Help the developer know what they’ve done wrong. Old tutorials will have developers writing code like this.

EDIT: Now happening with <div><button type="button"/></div>

[jdurand]

Just a little update in case someone else faces the same deprecation scenario. I was using ember-gestures for swipe actions. I was able to get rid of the ember-gestures dependency very easily with an ember-modifier:

// app/modifiers/on-swipe-right.js

import { modifier } from "ember-modifier";
import * as Hammer from 'hammerjs';

export default modifier((element, [fn]) => {
  const containerManager = new Hammer.Manager(element);
  const swipe = new Hammer.Swipe({
    direction: Hammer.DIRECTION_RIGHT,
    threshold: 10,
  });

  containerManager.add(swipe);
  containerManager.on('swiperight', fn, { passive: true });

  return () => {
    containerManager.destroy();
  }
});

<div
-  {{recognize-gesture "swipe"}}
-  {{on 'swiperight' (fn this.swipeRight @item)}}
+  {{on-swipe-right (fn this.swipeRight @item)}}
 >
  {{yield}}
</div>

[jdurand]

Thanks @pzuraq. Linking these related issues for future reference :

• https://github.com/html-next/ember-gestures/issues/139
• https://github.com/html-next/ember-hammertime/issues/103