From 72b5445bd8dae616be2d969c596f57ff003832e2 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Gurusamy Sarathy <gsar@cpan.org>
Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 08:35:39 +0000
Subject: [PATCH] merge changes from maintbranch (1354, and relevant part of
 1356); all maintenance changes upto 1356 merged

p4raw-id: //depot/perl@1397
---
 pod/perldiag.pod | 12 +++++++++++-
 pp_hot.c         |  4 +++-
 t/op/misc.t      |  2 +-
 3 files changed, 15 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-)

diff --git a/pod/perldiag.pod b/pod/perldiag.pod
index f2415cc..a0505e4 100644
--- a/pod/perldiag.pod
+++ b/pod/perldiag.pod
@@ -477,7 +477,17 @@ an object reference until it has been blessed.  See L<perlobj>.
 
 (F) You used the syntax of a method call, but the slot filled by the
 object reference or package name contains an expression that returns
-neither an object reference nor a package name.  (Perhaps it's null?)
+a defined value which is neither an object reference nor a package name.
+Something like this will reproduce the error:
+
+    $BADREF = 42;
+    process $BADREF 1,2,3;
+    $BADREF->process(1,2,3);
+
+=item Can't call method "%s" on an undefined value
+
+(F) You used the syntax of a method call, but the slot filled by the
+object reference or package name contains an undefined value.
 Something like this will reproduce the error:
 
     $BADREF = undef;
diff --git a/pp_hot.c b/pp_hot.c
index fa6c5a5..dc8935b 100644
--- a/pp_hot.c
+++ b/pp_hot.c
@@ -2447,7 +2447,9 @@ PP(pp_method)
 	    !(ob=(SV*)GvIO(iogv)))
 	{
 	    if (!packname || !isIDFIRST(*packname))
-  DIE("Can't call method \"%s\" without a package or object reference", name);
+		DIE("Can't call method \"%s\" %s", name,
+		    SvOK(sv)? "without a package or object reference"
+			    : "on an undefined value");
 	    stash = gv_stashpvn(packname, packlen, TRUE);
 	    goto fetch;
 	}
diff --git a/t/op/misc.t b/t/op/misc.t
index 25f566e..d544df4 100755
--- a/t/op/misc.t
+++ b/t/op/misc.t
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ EXPECT
 ########
 $foo=undef; $foo->go;
 EXPECT
-Can't call method "go" without a package or object reference at - line 1.
+Can't call method "go" on an undefined value at - line 1.
 ########
 BEGIN
         {
-- 
2.7.4