How do I pass error messages from meteor server to client

Question

I am using a meteor method to retrieve values from a client side function. I am using stripe api, it is working fine

However when there is a error in the stripe.charges.create function the error is not passed back to the client, which results in the stripeCheckout method sending the user to the complete template. I assume there is a way to take the errors in the Stripe.charges.create err.type response from stripes servers or the Stripe.customers.create function on the server side pass them to the client and let the user know the specific error as well as not sending them to the complete template using a if statement based on errors or Status of success from the stripe server which is passed to the meteor.

It's that connection from the error response from stripes 'Stripe.charges.create function to the meteor server and then passing it back to the client through the stripeCheckout` method.

Ok Hope I can get this solved. And any tips to approach this token creation, customer creation and charge in better practice, I am open to any suggestions.

Thanks!

Client JS

Stripe.card.createToken({
  number: $('.card-number').val(),
  cvc: $('.card-cvc').val(),
  exp_month: $('.card-expiry-month').val(),
  exp_year: $('.card-expiry-year').val(),
  address_line1: addressValue1,
  address_line2 : addressValue2,
  address_city: cityValue,
  address_state: provinceState,
  address_country: country,
  address_zip: zip,
  name: firstName + lastName
}, stripeResponseHandler);

function stripeResponseHandler(status, response) {
  if (response.error) {

    alert(response.error.message);
  }else{

  // response contains id and card, which contains additional card details
  var token = response.id;

  Meteor.call('stripeCheckout',token,  function (error, result) {
    Router.go("/complete");
  });

  }
}

Server JS

Meteor.methods({

  stripeCheckout: function (token) {

    Stripe.customers.create({
      source: token
    }, function(err, customer) {
      id = customer.id;

      if(err){
       throw new Meteor.Error("create-failed", err.message);
      }else{
       throw new Meteor.Error("create-failed", err.message);
      }

      Stripe.charges.create({
          amount: 1000,
          currency: 'usd',
          customer: id
      }, function (err, res) {

       if(err){
        throw new Meteor.Error("create-failed", err.message);
       }else{
        throw new Meteor.Error("create-failed", err.message);
       }

      });

    });
  }
});

UPDATE:

I added my current error detecting, I throw a error in all instances and I get this response in my console.

Exception in delivering result of invoking 'stripeCheckout': TypeError: Cannot read property 'error' of undefined
    at http://localhost:3000/client/stripeClient.js?0eb126fd5e018d3cac3f8ec1505f32b7fdc97604:197:22
    at Meteor.bindEnvironment [as _callback] (http://localhost:3000/packages/meteor.js?81e2f06cff198adaa81b3bc09fc4f3728b7370ec:977:22)
    at _.extend._maybeInvokeCallback (http://localhost:3000/packages/ddp.js?41b62dcceb3ce0de6ca79c6aed088cccde6a44d8:3858:12)
    at _.extend.receiveResult (http://localhost:3000/packages/ddp.js?41b62dcceb3ce0de6ca79c6aed088cccde6a44d8:3878:10)
    at _.extend._livedata_result (http://localhost:3000/packages/ddp.js?41b62dcceb3ce0de6ca79c6aed088cccde6a44d8:4931:9)
    at onMessage (http://localhost:3000/packages/ddp.js?41b62dcceb3ce0de6ca79c6aed088cccde6a44d8:3723:12)
    at http://localhost:3000/packages/ddp.js?41b62dcceb3ce0de6ca79c6aed088cccde6a44d8:2717:11
    at Array.forEach (native)
    at Function._.each._.forEach (http://localhost:3000/packages/underscore.js?0a80a8623e1b40b5df5a05582f288ddd586eaa18:156:11)
    at _.extend._launchConnection.self.socket.onmessage (http://localhost:3000/packages/ddp.js?41b62dcceb3ce0de6ca79c6aed088cccde6a44d8:2716:11)

This is the Stripe POST /v1/customers response

{
error:{
  message: "Your card was declined."
  type: "card_error"
  code: "card_declined"
 }
}

Answer 1

Simply throw a Meteor.Error like this:

Meteor.methods({
  stripeCheckout: function (token) {
    Stripe.customers.create({
      source: token
    }, function(err, customer) {
      id = customer.id;

      Stripe.charges.create({
          amount: 1000,
          currency: 'usd',
          customer: id
      }, function (err, res) {

        // first argument is error code, second is error details
        throw new Meteor.Error("create-failed", err.message);

      });
    });
  }
});

You will get the error you threw in the error argument of the method callback.

See the docs here: http://docs.meteor.com/#/full/meteor_error