i don't _think_ you can do that. The problem is that you need a handle before you can access the 'HandleError' attribute. You can't even set $DBI::errstr or $DBI::err. There _might_ be a way of tricking Perl into 'reblessing' an object, but i think you will have to settle for something along the lines of: 
{
    my $db_h = DBI->connect(
      $db_serverstr, $db_user, $db_pass,
      {HandleError => sub {die "WHYYYY\n".shift(@_)} }
    ) or die "WHYYYY\n" . $DBI::errstr;

   my $sth = $db_h->selectall_arrayref('
      grab me stuff from that table
   ');
}

[download]
'HandleError' will be used for all subsequent errors.

UPDATE
'RaiseError' will not magically make this work - i thought that it would at first, as well that you need to turn 'PrintError' off, which you don't.

jeffa

L-LL-L--L-LL-L--L-LL-L--
-R--R-RR-R--R-RR-R--R-RR
B--B--B--B--B--B--B--B--
H---H---H---H---H---H---
(the triplet paradiddle with high-hat)

In reply to (jeffa) Re: DBI HandleError callback not being called by jeffa
in thread DBI HandleError callback not being called by crazyinsomniac

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