[meta.reflection.exception]

# 21 Metaprogramming library [[meta]](./#meta)

## 21.4 Reflection [[meta.reflection]](meta.reflection#exception)

### 21.4.4 Class exception [meta.reflection.exception]

[🔗](#lib:exception)

namespace std::meta {class exception : public std::exception {private: optional<string> *what_*; // *exposition only* u8string *u8what_*; // *exposition only* info *from_*; // *exposition only* source_location *where_*; // *exposition only*public:consteval exception(u8string_view what, info from,
 source_location where = source_location::current()) noexcept; consteval exception(string_view what, info from,
 source_location where = source_location::current()) noexcept;

 exception(const exception&) = default;
 exception(exception&&) = default;

 exception& operator=(const exception&) = default;
 exception& operator=(exception&&) = default; constexpr const char* what() const noexcept override; consteval u8string_view u8what() const noexcept; consteval info from() const noexcept; consteval source_location where() const noexcept; };}

[1](#1)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3467)

Reflection functions throw exceptions of type meta​::​exception to signal an error[.](#1.sentence-1)

meta​::​exception is a consteval-only type[.](#1.sentence-2)

[🔗](#lib:exception,constructor)

`consteval exception(u8string_view what, info from,
                    source_location where = source_location::current()) noexcept;
`

[2](#2)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3478)

*Effects*: Initializes*u8what_* with what,*from_* with from, and*where_* with where[.](#2.sentence-1)

If what can be represented in the ordinary literal encoding,
initializes *what_* with what,
transcoded from UTF-8 to the ordinary literal encoding[.](#2.sentence-2)

Otherwise, *what_* is value-initialized[.](#2.sentence-3)

[🔗](#lib:exception,constructor_)

`consteval exception(string_view what, info from,
                    source_location where = source_location::current()) noexcept;
`

[3](#3)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3496)

*Constant When*: what designates a sequence of characters
that can be encoded in UTF-8[.](#3.sentence-1)

[4](#4)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3501)

*Effects*: Initializes*what_* with what,*u8what_* with what transcoded from the ordinary literal encoding to UTF-8,*from_* with from and*where_* with where[.](#4.sentence-1)

[🔗](#lib:what,exception)

`constexpr const char* what() const noexcept override;
`

[5](#5)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3517)

*Constant When*: *what_*.has_value() is true[.](#5.sentence-1)

[6](#6)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3521)

*Returns*: *what_*->c_str()[.](#6.sentence-1)

[🔗](#lib:u8what,exception)

`consteval u8string_view u8what() const noexcept;
`

[7](#7)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3531)

*Returns*: *u8what_*[.](#7.sentence-1)

[🔗](#lib:from,exception)

`consteval info from() const noexcept;
`

[8](#8)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3541)

*Returns*: *from_*[.](#8.sentence-1)

[🔗](#lib:where,exception)

`consteval source_location where() const noexcept;
`

[9](#9)

[#](http://github.com/Eelis/draft/tree/9adde4bc1c62ec234483e63ea3b70a59724c745a/source/meta.tex#L3551)

*Returns*: *where_*[.](#9.sentence-1)