SelfError

SelfError is a term used in software engineering to describe a class of runtime errors tied to self-referential operations or data. It denotes failures that occur when an entity attempts to reference, modify, or rely on itself in an invalid or inconsistent state. In practice, SelfError can arise in systems that use reflection, dynamic code loading, or self-modifying behavior, where the mechanism responsible for self-reference cannot safely resolve the current context.

Causes of SelfError include improper handling of self pointers or identities in object-oriented or prototype-based environments, recursive self-references that fail to converge, and memory safety issues that corrupt self-references. Race conditions can also contribute when the self-state is updated concurrently without proper synchronization, leaving a reference to oneself in an invalid state. Additionally, violations of invariants that are meant to stabilize self-state, such as assuming a self-reference will always be valid, can trigger SelfError.

Examples are typically hypothetical or language-specific, such as a method that returns a self-reference which is later invalidated, or an interpreter encountering a self symbol that cannot be resolved due to a partially constructed context. Circular initialization or evaluation where a value required by self-reference is not yet available can also produce this kind of error.

Diagnosis and handling generally involve examining stack traces and object graphs to locate unresolved or corrupted self-contexts. Some systems may raise a distinct SelfError exception, accompanied by guards that prevent further unsafe self-references. Prevention emphasizes immutable self-states, explicit ownership, limited use of reflection or evaluation, and static analysis to detect cycles and unresolved self-references.

See also: Self programming language, recursion error, runtime error, self-reference in data structures.