---
name: "Carp::Clan"
section: "3pm"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl-carp-clan"
version: "6.08-11"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/Carp::Clan"
---

# Carp::Clan(3pm)

Report errors from perspective of caller of a "clan" of modules

## NAME

Carp::Clan - Report errors from perspective of caller of a "clan" of modules

## VERSION

version 6.08

## SYNOPSIS

```
 carp    - warn of errors (from perspective of caller)
 cluck   - warn of errors with stack backtrace
 croak   - die of errors (from perspective of caller)
 confess - die of errors with stack backtrace
    use Carp::Clan qw(^MyClan::);
    croak "We're outta here!";
    use Carp::Clan;
    confess "This is how we got here!";
```

## DESCRIPTION

This module is based on "`"Carp.pm"`" from Perl 5.005\_03. It has been modified to skip all package names matching the pattern given in the "use" statement inside the "`qw()`" term (or argument list).

Suppose you have a family of modules or classes named "Pack::A", "Pack::B" and so on, and each of them uses "`"Carp::Clan qw(^Pack::);"`" (or at least the one in which the error or warning gets raised).

Thus when for example your script "tool.pl" calls module "Pack::A", and module "Pack::A" calls module "Pack::B", an exception raised in module "Pack::B" will appear to have originated in "tool.pl" where "Pack::A" was called, and not in "Pack::A" where "Pack::B" was called, as the unmodified "`"Carp.pm"`" would try to make you believe `":-)"`.

This works similarly if "Pack::B" calls "Pack::C" where the exception is raised, et cetera.

In other words, this blames all errors in the "`"Pack::*"`" modules on the user of these modules, i.e., on you. `";-)"`

The skipping of a clan (or family) of packages according to a pattern describing its members is necessary in cases where these modules are not classes derived from each other (and thus when examining `@ISA` - as in the original "`"Carp.pm"`" module - doesn't help).

The purpose and advantage of this is that a "clan" of modules can work together (and call each other) and throw exceptions at various depths down the calling hierarchy and still appear as a monolithic block (as though they were a single module) from the perspective of the caller.

In case you just want to ward off all error messages from the module in which you "`"use Carp::Clan"`", i.e., if you want to make all error messages or warnings to appear to originate from where your module was called (this is what you usually used to "`"use Carp;"`" for `";-)"`), instead of in your module itself (which is what you can do with a "die" or "warn" anyway), you do not need to provide a pattern, the module will automatically provide the correct one for you.

I.e., just "`"use Carp::Clan;"`" without any arguments and call "carp" or "croak" as appropriate, and they will automatically defend your module against all blames!

In other words, a pattern is only necessary if you want to make several modules (more than one) work together and appear as though they were only one.

### Forcing a Stack Trace

As a debugging aid, you can force "`"Carp::Clan"`" to treat a "croak" as a "confess" and a "carp" as a "cluck". In other words, force a detailed stack trace to be given. This can be very helpful when trying to understand why, or from where, a warning or error is being generated.

This feature is enabled either by "importing" the non-existent symbol 'verbose', or by setting the global variable "`$Carp::Clan::Verbose`" to a true value.

You would typically enable it by saying

```
    use Carp::Clan qw(verbose);
```

Note that you can both specify a "family pattern" and the string "verbose" inside the "`qw()`" term (or argument list) of the "use" statement, but consider that a pattern of packages to skip is pointless when "verbose" causes a full stack trace anyway.

## BUGS

The "`"Carp::Clan"`" routines don't handle exception objects currently. If called with a first argument that is a reference, they simply call "`die()`" or "`warn()`", as appropriate.

Bugs may be submitted through the RT bug tracker \<https://rt.cpan.org/Public/Dist/Display.html?Name=Carp-Clan\> (or bug-Carp-Clan@rt.cpan.org \<mailto:bug-Carp-Clan@rt.cpan.org\>).

## AUTHOR

Steffen Beyer \<STBEY@cpan.org\>

## CONTRIBUTORS

- •

  Karen Etheridge \<ether@cpan.org\>

- •

  Joshua ben Jore \<jjore@cpan.org\>

- •

  Kent Fredric \<kentnl@cpan.org\>

## COPYRIGHT AND LICENSE

This software is copyright (c) 2001 by Steffen Beyer, Joshua ben Jore.

This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.
