Call of deprecated function print_error() in autologin.php

[danowar2k]

What happened?
Moodle's print_error() function is deprecated since Moodle 4.1, see https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-71062

The code still contains a spot where print_error() is used:

moodle-auth_saml2/autologin.php

Line 34 in 54928e5

print_error('errorinvalidautologin', 'auth_saml2');

This should be replaced with throwing an exception.

[anku57]

The error you're encountering happens because the print_error() function was deprecated in Moodle 4.1. The recommended approach now is to replace the use of print_error() with throwing an exception, which is more aligned with modern PHP practices and Moodle's exception handling system.

Here's how you can address this issue:

1. Locate the print_error function call:
   In the file moodle-auth_saml2/autologin.php, line 34, you have the following call:

   print_error('errorinvalidautologin', 'auth_saml2');

2. Replace print_error() with an exception:
   Instead of using print_error(), you should throw a moodle_exception. This is Moodle's preferred method for error handling now.

   Replace the line with the following code:

   throw new moodle_exception('errorinvalidautologin', 'auth_saml2');

   The moodle_exception class is designed to handle errors more efficiently, and it integrates with Moodle's error handling framework, including displaying the error message appropriately.

Why is this change necessary?

• Deprecation: print_error() was deprecated as of Moodle 4.1 in favour of exception handling, which allows for better error reporting and debugging.
• Exception Handling: Throwing an exception is a more modern and consistent way to handle errors in object-oriented programming. Exceptions can be caught, logged, and managed in a way that improves maintainability and readability of the code.

Final Updated Code:

// Line 34 in autologin.php
throw new moodle_exception('errorinvalidautologin', 'auth_saml2');

This will ensure that the code aligns with Moodle's new error handling practices and should resolve the deprecation warning you're seeing.

[danmarsden]

thanks @danowar2k - if you want to help further, feel free to send through a PR :-)