What does <DATA> mean in Perl error messages?

Question

I'm trying to debug a error I am currently experiencing in Perl, and my first clues are the files and the lines stated. However, I'm not sure what <DATA> is.

So what is it?

Answer 1

It means you had read 228 lines from the DATA file handle when the error occurred. It's unlikely to be relevant in this case.

It's even less likely to be relevant when the handle in question is DATA. DATA allows a program to read data from the end of its source file. It's usually used to store hard-coded data or part of the program itself. It's usually read from start to finish early in the program execution. But few bother to close the handle, so unrelated error message end up tagged with the number of the last line of that data.