NAME
Error::Helper - Provides some easy error related methods.
VERSION
Version 3.0.0
SYNOPSIS
Below is an example script showing its usage.
use warnings;
use strict;
{
package Foo;
use base 'Error::Helper';
sub new {
my $arg = $_[1];
my $self = {
perror => undef,
error => undef,
errorLine => undef,
errorFilename => undef,
errorString => "",
errorExtra => {
all_errors_fatal => 0,
flags => {
1 => 'UndefArg',
2 => 'test',
3 => 'derp',
4 => 'test2',
},
fatal_flags => {
derp => 1,
},
fatal_errors => {
4 => 1,
},
perror_not_fatal => 0,
},
};
bless $self;
# error if $arg is set to "test"
if ( defined($arg)
&& $arg eq "test" )
{
$self->{perror} = 1;
$self->{error} = 2;
$self->{errorString} = 'A value of "test" has been set';
$self->warn;
return $self;
}
# error if $arg is set to "test2", error fatally
if ( defined($arg)
&& $arg eq "test2" )
{
$self->{perror} = 1;
$self->{error} = 4;
$self->{errorString} = 'A value of "test2" has been set';
$self->warn;
return $self;
}
return $self;
} ## end sub new
sub foo {
my $self = $_[0];
my $value = $_[1];
if ( !$self->errorblank ) {
return undef;
}
if ( !defined($value) ) {
$self->{error} = 1;
$self->{errorString} = 'No value specified';
$self->warn;
return undef;
}
# this will be fatal as the error flag derp is set to fatal
if ( $value eq 'derp' ) {
$self->{error} = 3;
$self->{errorString} = 'foo was called with a value of derp';
$self->warn;
}
return 1;
} ## end sub foo
}
my $foo_obj;
eval {
$foo_obj = Foo->new( $ARGV[0] );
# not reached when a perror is set, as perrors are fatal by default
if ( $foo_obj->error ) {
warn( 'error:' . $foo_obj->error . ': ' . $foo_obj->errorString );
exit $foo_obj->error;
}
};
if ($@) {
print 'Error: '
. $Error::Helper::error
. "\nError String: "
. $Error::Helper::errorString
. "\nError Flag: "
. $Error::Helper::errorFlag
. "\nError File: "
. $Error::Helper::errorFilename
. "\nError Line: "
. $Error::Helper::errorLine
. "\nError Sub: "
. $Error::Helper::errorSub
. "\nError Sub Short: "
. $Error::Helper::errorSubShort
. "\nError Package: "
. $Error::Helper::errorPackage
. "\nError PackageShort: "
. $Error::Helper::errorPackageShort . "\n";
exit $Error::Helper::error;
} ## end if ($@)
# catches fatal errors
eval { $foo_obj->foo( $ARGV[1] ); };
if ($@) {
# do something...
warn( '$foo_obj->foo( $ARGV[1] ) errored.... ' . $@ );
if ( $foo_obj->errorFlag eq 'derp' ) {
warn('error flag derp found... calling again with a value of default');
$foo_obj->foo('default');
}
} elsif ( $foo_obj->error ) {
# do something...
warn('$foo_obj->foo( $ARGV[1] ) errored');
}There are five required variables in the blessed hash object.
- $self->{error} :: This contains the current error code.
- Type :: int or undef
- $self->{errorFilename} :: File from which $self->warn was called.
- Type :: string or undef
- $self->{errorLine} :: Line from which $self->warn was called.
- Type :: int or undef
- $self->{errorString} :: This contains a description of the current error.
- Type :: string or undef
- $self->{perror} :: This is set to true if a permanent error is present.
If not, it needs to be set to false.
- Type :: Perl booleanThe following are optional.
- $self->{errorExtra} :: This is a hash reserved for any additional Error::Helper items.
- $self->{errorExtra}{all_errors_fatal} :: If true, this will die when $self->warn is called instead of
printing the error to STDERR. This is for if you want to use it eval for capturing errors and this
module more for handling grabbing error specifics, such as dieing and additional code based on the
return of $self->errorFlag.
- Type :: Perl boolean
- Default :: undef
- Alias :: all_fatal, which is what 2.0.0 and 2.1.0 checked for and is still honored.
- $self->{errorExtra}{fatal_errors} :: This is a hash in which the keys are error codes that are fatal. When
$self->warn is called it will check if the error code is fatal or not. Setting
$self->{errorExtra}{fatal_errors}{33}=1 would make error 33 fatal, but
$self->{errorExtra}{fatal_errors}{33}=0 would not.
- Type :: hash
- $self->{errorExtra}{flags} :: This hash contains error integer to flag mapping. The
keys are the error integer and the value is the flag. For any unmatched error
integers, 'other' is returned.
- Type :: hash
- $self->{errorExtra}{fatal_flags} :: This is a hash in which the keys are error flags that are fatal. When
$self->warn is called it will check if the flag for the error code is fatal or not. For the flag foo,
setting $self->{errorExtra}{fatal_flags}{foo}=1 would make it fatal, but
$self->{errorExtra}{fatal_flags}{foo}=0 would not.
- Type :: hash
- $self->{errorExtra}{perror_not_fatal} :: Controls if $self->{perror} is fatal or not.
- Type :: Perl boolean
- Default :: undefThis module also sets several other variables as well for when something like a new method is called and dies, before something blessed can be returned. These allow examining the error that resulted in it dying.
The following are mapped to the ones above.
$Error::Helper::perror
$Error::Helper::error
$Error::Helper::errorString
$Error::Helper::errorFlag
$Error::Helper::errorFilename
$Error::Helper::errorLineThe following don't have mappings above.
- $Error::Helper::errorSub :: The sub that warn was called from.
- $Error::Helper::errorSubShort :: Same as errorSub, but everything prior to the subname is
removed. So Foo::bar would become bar.
- $Error::Helper::errorPackage :: The package that warn was called from.
- $Error::Helper::errorPackageShort :: Same as errorPackage, but everything prior to the last item
in the name space is removed. So Foo::Foo::Bar would just become Bar.METHODS
error
Returns the current error code and true if there is an error.
If there is no error, undef is returned.
if($self->error){
# do something
}errorblank
This blanks the error storage and is only meant for internal usage.
It does the following.
$self->{error} = undef;
$self->{errorFilename} = undef;
$self->{errorLine} = undef;
$self->{errorString} = "";The shared $Error::Helper::* variables are cleared as well.
If $self->{perror} is set, it will not be able to blank any current errors. It will die in that case, unless $self->{errorExtra}{perror_not_fatal} is true, in which case it prints to STDERR and returns undef.
Returns 1 upon success.
errorFilename
This returns the filename in which the error occurred or otherwise returns undef.
if($self->error){
print 'error happened in '.$self->errorFilename."\n";
}errorFlag
This returns the error flag for the current error.
If there is no error, undef is returned. If there is an error, but no flag is mapped to it via $self->{errorExtra}{flags}, then 'other' is returned.
This may be used in a similar manner as the error method.
if ( $self->errorFlag ){
if ( $self->errorFlag eq 'foo' ){
# do something
}else{
die('error flag '.$self->errorFlag.' can not be handled');
}
}errorLine
This returns the line the error occurred on or otherwise returns undef.
if($self->error){
print 'error happened at line '.$self->errorLine."\n";
}errorString
Returns the error string if there is one. If there is not, it will return ''.
if($self->error){
warn('error: '.$self->error.":".$self->errorString);
}perror
This returns a Perl boolean for if there is a permanent error or not.
if($self->perror){
warn('A permanent error is set');
}warn
Throws a warn like error message based on the contents of $self->errorString. The shared $Error::Helper::* variables are set as well.
$self->warn;The error will be fatal, dying instead of printing to STDERR, if any of the following are true.
- $self->{perror} is set and $self->{errorExtra}{perror_not_fatal} is not.
- $self->{errorExtra}{all_errors_fatal} or $self->{errorExtra}{all_fatal} is true.
- The current error code is set to true in $self->{errorExtra}{fatal_errors}.
- The current error flag is set to true in $self->{errorExtra}{fatal_flags}.warnString
Throws a warn like error in the same format as warn, but with a freeform message.
This will not trigger any of the fatality checks. It will also not set any of the error values.
$self->warnString('some error');ERROR FLAGS
Error flags are meant to be short non-spaced strings that are easier to remember than a specific error integer.
'other' is the generic error flag for when one is not defined.
An error flag should never evaluate to false if an error is present.
AUTHOR
Zane C. Bowers-Hadley, <vvelox at vvelox.net>
BUGS
Please report any bugs or feature requests to bug-error-helper at rt.cpan.org, or through the web interface at http://rt.cpan.org/NoAuth/ReportBug.html?Queue=Error-Helper. I will be notified, and then you'll automatically be notified of progress on your bug as I make changes.
SUPPORT
You can find documentation for this module with the perldoc command.
perldoc Error::HelperYou can also look for information at:
RT: CPAN's request tracker
Search CPAN
LICENSE AND COPYRIGHT
Copyright 2026 Zane C. Bowers-Hadley.
This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either: the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; or the Artistic License.
See http://dev.perl.org/licenses/ for more information.