ENH: Allow exceptions to pass into convert_exception_to_primitives

octue/utils/exceptions.py

@@ -25,12 +25,20 @@ def create_exceptions_mapping(*sources):
     return exceptions_mapping
 
 
-def convert_exception_to_primitives():
-    """Convert an exception into a dictionary of its type, message, and traceback as JSON-serialisable primitives.
+def convert_exception_to_primitives(exception=None):
+    """Convert an exception into a dictionary of its type, message, and traceback as JSON-serialisable primitives. The
+    exception is acquired using `sys.exc_info` if one is not supplied.
 
+    :param Exception|None exception: the exception to convert; if `None`, the exception is acquired using `sys.exc_info`
     :return dict: a dictionary with "type", "message" and "traceback" keys and JSON-serialisable values
     """
-    exception_info = sys.exc_info()
+    if exception:
+        try:
+            raise exception
+        except Exception:
+            exception_info = sys.exc_info()
+    else:
+        exception_info = sys.exc_info()
 
     return {
         "type": exception_info[0].__name__,

tests/utils/test_exceptions.py

@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+import unittest
+
+from octue.utils.exceptions import convert_exception_to_primitives
+
+
+class TestExceptions(unittest.TestCase):
+    def test_with_caught_exception(self):
+        """Test converting a caught exception (without passing the exception directly)."""
+        try:
+            raise ValueError("Deliberately raised for test.")
+        except Exception:
+            converted_exception = convert_exception_to_primitives()
+
+        self.assertEqual(converted_exception["type"], "ValueError")
+        self.assertEqual(converted_exception["message"], "Deliberately raised for test.")
+
+        self.assertIn(
+            'in test_with_raised_exception\n    raise ValueError("Deliberately raised for test.")',
+            converted_exception["traceback"][0],
+        )
+
+    def test_with_passed_unraised_exception(self):
+        """Test converting an unraised exception passed in to the function."""
+        exception = ValueError("Deliberately raised for test.")
+        converted_exception = convert_exception_to_primitives(exception)
+
+        self.assertEqual(converted_exception["type"], "ValueError")
+        self.assertEqual(converted_exception["message"], "Deliberately raised for test.")
+        self.assertIn("in convert_exception_to_primitives\n    raise exception", converted_exception["traceback"][0])