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error(+EventId, ?Culprit)

An error or event EventId is raised and the corresponding error handler is executed

EventId: Atom, integer or structure with functor default/1.
Culprit: Prolog term.

Description

The event or error EventId with Culprit as its culprit goal is raised. EventId is either an integer error number, or an atomic event name. The error handler which is associated with EventId is invoked, with its first argument set to EventId, its second argument to Culprit, and its third argument and fourth argument are the context module in which error/2 is invoked. If the handler has less than four arguments, the extra information is lost.

This simulates an occurrence of the error EventId inside a call to Culprit. The valid error numbers are those returned by current_error/1. Event names can be any atom as long as an event handler has been defined for them.

If EventId is a structure with functor default/1, the structure's argument is taken as the error number and the default handler is executed, even if the error handler has been redefined using set_event_handler/2. This is useful for writing user error handlers.

If the event handler succeeds, possibly binding some variables inside Culprit, then error/2 succeeds as well. If the handler fails or calls throw/1, then so does error/2.

Modules

This predicate is sensitive to its module context (tool predicate, see @/2).

Fail Conditions

Fails if the handler fails

Resatisfiable

Resatisfiable if the handler is resatisfiable

Exceptions

(4) instantiation fault: EventId is not instantiated.
(5) type error: EventId is not an error specification.
(6) out of range: EventId is a number but not a valid error number.
(32) no handler for event: No handler is associated to EventId

Examples

Success:

   % Writing a predicate with type checking
    ?- [user].
     is_positive(N) :-
            number(N),
            !,
            N >= 0.
     is_positive(N) :-
            error(5, is_positive(N)).
     user compiled 244 bytes in 0.02 seconds
    yes.

    ?- is_positive(a).
    type error in is_positive(a)

   % changing the behaviour of a built-in by redefining a handler
    ?- //(1,0,X).       % change this behaviour
    arithmetic exception in //(1, 0, X)

    ?- [user].        % define the new handler
     my_handler(_, //(_,_,Result)) :-
            !,
            Result = infinity.
     my_handler(Err, Goal) :-
            error(default(Err), Goal).
     user compiled 212 bytes in 0.00 seconds
    yes.

    ?- set_event_handler(20, my_handler/2).
    yes.

    ?- //(1,0,X).      % check if it works
    X = infinity
    yes.

    ?- sqrt(-1,X).   % other culprits: as before
    arithmetic exception in sqrt(-1, _g36)

Error:
      error(N,dummy(1)).    (Error 4).
      error(5.0,dummy(1)).  (Error 5).
      error(-2,dummy(1)).   (Error 6).