Wrapl, The Programming Language

Tutorial : Message Handling

Messages in Wrapl are like exceptions, except that they are not intended to be used just for error handling. To send a message, use the expresssion SEND value. Any value can be sent as a message. A SEND value expression does not produce any values, instead execution jumps immediately to the current message handler. To set the current message handler, you use a receive expression in a block, RECV name DO expression where name is the variable that will be assigned the value of the message before expression is evaluated.

Note that when a handler is entered, the previous handler is restored, hence messages not intended for the current handler should be resent using SEND. The previous handler is also restored when the block is exited normally, i.e. at the end of the block or when the function returns. For example:

This function will convert its argument to a string (using @) but return <value> if no method exists for the conversion.

If the body of a handler does not send any message, then in completion, the block which contains that handler will exit with the value produced by the body of that handler. The body of a handler can contain a STEP expression which will cause the current loop to restart, allowing a piece of code to be executed until it does not produce any messages.