22 Diagnostics library [diagnostics]

22.5 System error support [syserr]

22.5.2 Class error_­category [syserr.errcat]

22.5.2.1 Class error_­category overview [syserr.errcat.overview]

The class error_­category serves as a base class for types used to identify the source and encoding of a particular category of error code.
Classes may be derived from error_­category to support categories of errors in addition to those defined in this International Standard.
Such classes shall behave as specified in this subclause.
[Note
:
error_­category objects are passed by reference, and two such objects are equal if they have the same address.
This means that applications using custom error_­category types should create a single object of each such type.
end note
]
namespace std {
  class error_category {
  public:
    constexpr error_category() noexcept;
    virtual ~error_category();
    error_category(const error_category&) = delete;
    error_category& operator=(const error_category&) = delete;
    virtual const char* name() const noexcept = 0;
    virtual error_condition default_error_condition(int ev) const noexcept;
    virtual bool equivalent(int code, const error_condition& condition) const noexcept;
    virtual bool equivalent(const error_code& code, int condition) const noexcept;
    virtual string message(int ev) const = 0;

    bool operator==(const error_category& rhs) const noexcept;
    bool operator!=(const error_category& rhs) const noexcept;
    bool operator<(const error_category& rhs) const noexcept;
  };

  const error_category& generic_category() noexcept;
  const error_category& system_category() noexcept;
}

22.5.2.2 Class error_­category virtual members [syserr.errcat.virtuals]

virtual ~error_category();
Effects: Destroys an object of class error_­category.
virtual const char* name() const noexcept = 0;
Returns: A string naming the error category.
virtual error_condition default_error_condition(int ev) const noexcept;
Returns: error_­condition(ev, *this).
virtual bool equivalent(int code, const error_condition& condition) const noexcept;
Returns: default_­error_­condition(code) == condition.
virtual bool equivalent(const error_code& code, int condition) const noexcept;
Returns: *this == code.category() && code.value() == condition.
virtual string message(int ev) const = 0;
Returns: A string that describes the error condition denoted by ev.

22.5.2.3 Class error_­category non-virtual members [syserr.errcat.nonvirtuals]

constexpr error_category() noexcept;
Effects: Constructs an object of class error_­category.
bool operator==(const error_category& rhs) const noexcept;
Returns: this == &rhs.
bool operator!=(const error_category& rhs) const noexcept;
Returns: !(*this == rhs).
bool operator<(const error_category& rhs) const noexcept;
Returns: less<const error_­category*>()(this, &rhs).
[Note
:
less ([comparisons]) provides a total ordering for pointers.
end note
]

22.5.2.4 Program defined classes derived from error_­category [syserr.errcat.derived]

virtual const char* name() const noexcept = 0;
Returns: A string naming the error category.
virtual error_condition default_error_condition(int ev) const noexcept;
Returns: An object of type error_­condition that corresponds to ev.
virtual bool equivalent(int code, const error_condition& condition) const noexcept;
Returns: true if, for the category of error represented by *this, code is considered equivalent to condition; otherwise, false.
virtual bool equivalent(const error_code& code, int condition) const noexcept;
Returns: true if, for the category of error represented by *this, code is considered equivalent to condition; otherwise, false.

22.5.2.5 Error category objects [syserr.errcat.objects]

const error_category& generic_category() noexcept;
Returns: A reference to an object of a type derived from class error_­category.
All calls to this function shall return references to the same object.
Remarks: The object's default_­error_­condition and equivalent virtual functions shall behave as specified for the class error_­category.
The object's name virtual function shall return a pointer to the string "generic".
const error_category& system_category() noexcept;
Returns: A reference to an object of a type derived from class error_­category.
All calls to this function shall return references to the same object.
Remarks: The object's equivalent virtual functions shall behave as specified for class error_­category.
The object's name virtual function shall return a pointer to the string "system".
The object's default_­error_­condition virtual function shall behave as follows:
If the argument ev corresponds to a POSIX errno value posv, the function shall return error_­condition(posv, generic_­category()).
Otherwise, the function shall return error_­condition(ev, system_­category()).
What constitutes correspondence for any given operating system is unspecified.
[Note
:
The number of potential system error codes is large and unbounded, and some may not correspond to any POSIX errno value.
Thus implementations are given latitude in determining correspondence.
end note
]