source::encoding(3pm)

🎀 NAME 🎀

Okay bestie, this is source::encoding(3pm) from the Perl Programmers Reference Guide 💖 It’s literally called source::encoding — and its whole personality is declare Perl source code encoding. Periodt.

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

use source::encoding 'ascii';
use source::encoding 'utf8';
no source::encoding;

🌸 DESCRIPTION 🌸

So these days, bestie, Perl code is usually doing one of two things: it’s generally only ASCII characters, with \x{} and similar escapes standing in for the non-ASCII bits, or it’s got use utf8 to say “hey, the source code itself contains characters encoded as UTF-8” ✨

That means when a character in the source code doesn’t meet those criteria, it’s often a typographical error 👀 This pragma is the one that tells Perl to raise an error when that happens. No silent weirdness, no cap.

• use source::encoding 'utf8' is a synonym for use utf8 — they may be used interchangeably 💅
• use source::encoding 'ascii' turns off any UTF-8 expectations, and raises a fatal error if any character within its scope in the input source code is not ASCII (or ASCII-equivalent on EBCDIC systems) 🚨
• no source::encoding turns off any UTF-8/ASCII expectations for the remainder of its scope. After that, the meaning of non-ASCII characters is undefined 😭 so don’t come crying to me if it gets feral.
• use source::encoding 'ascii' is automatically enabled within the lexical scope of a use v5.41.0 or higher 👑

🦋 SEE ALSO 🦋

• utf8 — that’s the whole vibe check 🫶

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mwah 💋 — this page is source::encoding(3pm) from perl v5.42.3, dated 2026-11-03. Byeee 💖