# NAME Class::ErrorHandler - Base class for error handling # SYNOPSIS package Foo; use base qw( Class::ErrorHandler ); sub class_method { my $class = shift; ... return $class->error("Help!") unless $continue; } sub object_method { my $obj = shift; ... return $obj->error("I am no more") unless $continue; } package main; use Foo; Foo->class_method or die Foo->errstr; my $foo = Foo->new; $foo->object_method or die $foo->errstr; # DESCRIPTION _Class::ErrorHandler_ provides an error-handling mechanism that's generic enough to be used as the base class for a variety of OO classes. Subclasses inherit its two error-handling methods, _error_ and _errstr_, to communicate error messages back to the calling program. On failure (for whatever reason), a subclass should call _error_ and return to the caller; _error_ itself sets the error message internally, then returns `undef`. This has the effect of the method that failed returning `undef` to the caller. The caller should check for errors by checking for a return value of `undef`, and calling _errstr_ to get the value of the error message on an error. As demonstrated in the [SYNOPSIS](https://metacpan.org/pod/SYNOPSIS), _error_ and _errstr_ work as both class methods and object methods. # USAGE ## Class->error($message) ## $object->error($message) Sets the error message for either the class _Class_ or the object _$object_ to the message _$message_. Returns `undef`. ## Class->errstr ## $object->errstr Accesses the last error message set in the class _Class_ or the object _$object_, respectively, and returns that error message. # LICENSE This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself. # AUTHOR & COPYRIGHT Except where otherwise noted, _Class::ErrorHandler_ is Copyright 2004 Benjamin Trott, cpan@stupidfool.org. All rights reserved.