FParsec: how to omit `many` parser failures from error messages

Question

Consider this parser that converts digit strings to ints:

let toInt (s:string) = 
    match Int32.TryParse(s) with
    | (true, n) -> preturn n
    | _         -> fail "Number must be below 2147483648"

let naturalNum = many1Chars digit >>= toInt <?> "natural number"

When I run it on non-numeric strings like "abc" it shows the correct error message:

Error in Ln: 1 Col: 1
abc
^
Expecting: natural number

But when I give it a numeric string exceeding the int range it gives the following counter-productive message:

Error in Ln: 1 Col: 17
9999999999999999
                ^
Note: The error occurred at the end of the input stream.
Expecting: decimal digit
Other error messages:
  Number must be below 2147483648

The primary message "Expecting: decimal digit" makes no sense, because we have to many digits already.

Is there a way to get rid of it and only show "Number must be below 2147483648"?

---

Full example:

open System
open FParsec

[<EntryPoint>]
let main argv =
    let toInt (s:string) = 
        match Int32.TryParse(s) with
        | (true, n) -> preturn n
        | _         -> fail "Number must be below 2147483648"

    let naturalNum = many1Chars digit >>= toInt <?> "natural number"

    match run naturalNum "9999999999999999" with
    | Failure (msg, _, _) -> printfn "%s" msg
    | Success (a, _, _)   -> printfn "%A" a

    0

Answer 1

I think the root of the problem here is that this is a non-syntactic concern, which doesn't fit well with the model of a lookahead parser. If you could express "too many digits" in a syntactic way, it would make sense for the parser too, but as it is it will instead go back and try to consume more input. I think the cleanest solution therefore would be to do the int conversion in a separate pass after the parsing.

That said, FParsec seems flexible enough that you should still be able to hack it together. This does what you ask I think:

let naturalNum: Parser<int, _> =
    fun stream ->
        let reply = many1Chars digit stream
        match reply.Status with
            | Ok ->
                match Int32.TryParse(reply.Result) with
                | (true, n) -> Reply(n)
                | _         -> Reply(Error, messageError "Number must be below 2147483648")                
            | _ ->
                Reply(Error, reply.Error)

Or if you want the "natural number" error message instead of "decimal digit", replace the last line with:

Reply(Error, messageError "Expecting: natural number")