How to retrieve error information from an exception handler?

Question

I have an Embedded PL/SQL block in a Pro*C
application that uses something like the following to catch exceptions and fill a host variable with diagnostic information.
It then re-raises the exception so that
the global error handler specified with a
WHENEVER SQLERROR DO ... can log the error and determine the appropriate action.
EXCEPTION
WHEN OTHERS THEN
:zerrtext := 'Failure occurred at ' | | mylocator;
RAISE;
According to all the Oracle docs this should work; but it does not. Re-Raising the exception within PL/SQL appears to negate the assignment of the string data to the host variable. When the global error handler runs, the host variable is empty.
The assignment works if the 'RAISE' is commenting out; but then the detailed Oracle exception data is lost, and the global error handler never gets an opportunity to run.
Does anyone know why re-raising the exception voids the assignment within the PL/SQL exception handler; and how to prevent this from happening?

Answer 1

Have you tried getting the value from 'sqlerrm'? In PL/SQL this is a built-in placeholder for the ORA-xxxx code and message when trapping exceptions.
Hope this helps,
- Alex
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