Re: [Caml-list] exception Failure and failwith

[luc.maranget@inria.fr (Luc Maranget)]

> Hi everyone.
> 
> I've ran into a situation and I need a little explanation.
> 
> It's all about the failwith function of pervasives (that simply raises 
> an exception Failure of string).
> Normally, that exception can be cought by means of a try...with using as 
> clause something like
> | Failure s -> .....
> 
> That's good.
> But what if I define something (another exception like module Stream 
> does), a constructor (like I did) with the name Failure?
> 
> Obviously the Ocaml type checker will make all controls with the new 
> definition of Failure (starting from that point).
> But what if I want to catch the Failure exception? :-/
> It seems that no module defines it, so I did not find any way to 
> identify the exception.
> 
> Thanks to everyone
> Luca
> 
> -- 

Failure is considerd 'internal' (or built-in, or predefined) by the compiler.
The same applies for instance to the 'option' type constructors None
and Some.

Have a look at the manual
<http://caml.inria.fr/pub/docs/manual-ocaml/manual033.html#htoc249>

You could have expected that 'Failure' is defined in standard library
(eg in module Pervasives) but it is not the case.

So the answer is: tou can't.
If you shadow OCaml's Failure by your definition, then
you have no longer access to OCaml's Failure.


-- Luc Maranget