---
name: "source::encoding"
section: "3perl"
platform: "linux"
package: "perl"
version: "5.44.0-1"
release: "Arch Linux 2026-11-01"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/source::encoding/3perl"
---

# source::encoding(3perl)

## NAME

source::encoding -- Declare Perl source code encoding

## SYNOPSIS

```
 use source::encoding 'ascii';
 use source::encoding 'utf8';
 no source::encoding;
```

## DESCRIPTION

These days, Perl code either generally contains only ASCII characters with `"\x{}"` and similar escapes to represent non-ASCII, or `"use utf8"` is used to indicate that the source code itself contains characters encoded as UTF-8.

That means that a character in the source code not meeting these criteria is often a typographical error.  This pragma is used to tell Perl to raise an error when this happens.

`"use source::encoding 'utf8'"` is a synonym for `"use utf8"`.  They may be used interchangeably.

`"use source::encoding 'ascii'"` turns off any UTF-8 expectations, and raises a fatal error if any character within its scope in the input source code is not ASCII (or ASCII-equivalent on EBCDIC systems).

`"no source::encoding"` turns off any UTF-8/ASCII expectations for the remainder of its scope.  The meaning of non-ASCII characters is then undefined.

`"use source::encoding 'ascii'"` is automatically enabled within the lexical scope of a `"use v5.41.0"` or higher.

## SEE ALSO

utf8