Fix unusable Emacs when an ELPA repository is down

Author: syl20bnr

core/core-configuration-layer.el

@@ -216,15 +216,23 @@ refreshed during the current session."
                    (car archive) i count) t))
         (spacemacs//redisplay)
         (setq i (1+ i))
-        (unless (eq 'error (with-timeout
-                               (dotspacemacs-elpa-timeout
-                                (progn
-                                  (spacemacs-buffer/append
-                                   (format
-                                    "\nError while contacting %s repository!"
-                                    (car archive)))
-                                  'error))
-                             (url-retrieve-synchronously (cdr archive))))
+        (unless (eq 'error
+                    (with-timeout
+                        (dotspacemacs-elpa-timeout
+                         (progn
+                           (spacemacs-buffer/append
+                            (format
+                             "\nError connection time out for %s repository!"
+                             (car archive)))
+                           'error))
+                      (condition-case err
+                          (url-retrieve-synchronously (cdr archive))
+                        ('error
+                         (spacemacs-buffer/append
+                          (format
+                           "\nError while contacting %s repository!"
+                           (car archive)))
+                         'error))))
           (let ((package-archives (list archive)))
             (package-refresh-contents))))
       (package-read-all-archive-contents)

tests/core/core-configuration-layer-utest.el

@@ -51,6 +51,34 @@
     (should (equal '(("melpa" . "https://melpa.org/packages/"))
                    (configuration-layer//resolve-package-archives input)))))
 
+;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+;; configuration-layer/retrieve-package-archives
+;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+(ert-deftest test-retrieve-package-archives--catch-time-out-error ()
+  (let ((package-archives '(("gnu" . "https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/")))
+        (configuration-layer--package-archives-refreshed nil)
+        (dotspacemacs-elpa-timeout -1))
+    (mocker-let
+        ((message (format-string &rest args)
+                  ((:record-cls 'mocker-stub-record :output nil))))
+      (configuration-layer/retrieve-package-archives))))
+
+(ert-deftest test-retrieve-package-archives--catch-connection-errors ()
+  (let ((package-archives '(("gnu" . "https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/")))
+        (configuration-layer--package-archives-refreshed nil))
+    (cl-letf (((symbol-function 'url-retrieve-synchronously)
+               (lambda (x)
+                 (signal 'file-error '("make client process failed"
+                                       "connection refused"
+                                       :name "elpa.gnu.org"
+                                       :buffer dummy
+                                       :host "elpa.gnu.org"
+                                       :service 443
+                                       :nowait nil))))
+              ((symbol-function 'message) 'ignore))
+      (configuration-layer/retrieve-package-archives))))
+
 ;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
 ;; configuration-layer//make-layers
 ;; ---------------------------------------------------------------------------