Request: option for refinement by console.assert

[espretto]

Hello,

would it be feasable to add an option giving console.assert the same semantics as throw-statements with regard to refinements? The below example currently points out that .parentNode may be undefined:

function remove(node: Node): Node {
  return node.parentNode.removeChild(node)
}

Inserting an if-throw/-return statement refines the type of .parentNode for the else-branch. The type-checker is happy with this:

function remove(node: Node): Node {
  if (node.parentNode == null) throw new Error('cannot remove orphaned node')
  return node.parentNode.removeChild(node)
}

Although console.assert does not change execution flow, the intend is otherwise the same. In addition, console-statements can be stripped once the tests pass.

function remove(node: Node): Node {
  console.assert(node.parentNode, 'cannot remove orphaned node')
  return node.parentNode.removeChild(node)
}

This of course assumes, the application is not supposed to recover from such an error.