No, please no. $@ is for eval errors. Not user-level errors. When you mix those up, you make it much harder to program for evals.

Please, don't be like the IO::* Modules. Wrong.

-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker
Be sure to read my standard disclaimer if this is a reply.

Update: Note the docs on this: 
    $@      The Perl syntax error message from the last eval() operato
+r. If
            $@ is the null string, the last eval() parsed and executed
            correctly (although the operations you invoked may have fa
+iled
            in the normal fashion). (Mnemonic: Where was the syntax er
+ror
            "at"?)

            Warning messages are not collected in this variable. You c
+an,
            however, set up a routine to process warnings by setting
            $SIG{__WARN__} as described below.

            Also see "Error Indicators".

[download]
Nowhere does it say that it's for user errors. And if you set $@ in the middle of your code, you lose the eval error!

In reply to •Re: Re: Setting $! to custom values by merlyn
in thread Setting $! to custom values by TheHobbit

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