error handling when provider connection fails?

[benediamond]

consider this code, in the browser:

    try {
      const provider = ethers.getDefaultProvider("ws://127.0.0.1:8545/");
    } catch (error) {
      console.log("this line never prints?!?!?");
    }

and suppose that nobody is listening on "ws://127.0.0.1:8545/".

even though i get errors in my console:

WebSocket connection to 'ws://127.0.0.1:8545/' failed
WebSocketProvider   | @ | websocket-provider.ts:72
getDefaultProvider  | @ | index.ts:60
...

the catch block never fires.

how do i properly catch this error / determine whether the connection to the provider was successful? thanks.

[proficy]

You could do something like provider.getBlockNumber() and then catch the error that produces.

[benediamond]

I had a similar thought. but it seems weird that that's the best option...?