In Objective-C, I'm trying to encapsulate multiple error-able calls and "return" the most useful error.

Question

I put "return" in quotes because I don't want to literally return it. I want to do it similar to how you pass a pointer-to-a-pointer for [NSString stringWithContentsOfFile:usedEncoding:error:].

I would like to make parseFiles:error return nil and have the error reference that was passed in contain the first or second error, depending on which one failed. It seems like a Cocoa way to do it?

EDIT: Sorry, I should've been more clear about where I was having the problem. If the first path is bogus, it functions as I want. (I get the error instance outside and it prints.) If the first path is legit, as it filler string below implies, I get EXC_BAD_ACCESS.

But now I fixed it. I need to refer to it as *error inside the parseFiles:error: method and use == nil when checking if it failed. I thought I could just to if (error)...

EDIT 2 Ok, it doesn't work. I'm getting EXC_BAD_ACCESS. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong with the conditions that check for the errors.

@implementation PassingError

- (id)init {
    self = [super init];

    NSError *error;
    [self parseFiles:@"/untitled.py" error:&error];

    if (error != nil) {
        NSLog(@"I failed because: %@", error);
    }
    return self;
}

// Wraps with reading errors.
- (NSString *)parseFiles:(NSString *)path error:(NSError **)error {

    NSStringEncoding enc1;
    NSString *contents1 = [NSString stringWithContentsOfFile:path
                                               usedEncoding:&enc1 error:*&error];

    // there was a read error

    // I need an asterisk here...
    if (*error != nil) {
        // ...and also one here
        NSLog(@"FIRST ERROR: %@", *error);
        return nil;
    }


    // here is where you'd do something that might cause another error,
    // I'll just try and read a second file for simplicity
    NSStringEncoding enc2;
    NSString *contents2 = [NSString stringWithContentsOfFile:@"/untitled.py"
                                               usedEncoding:&enc2 error:*&error];

    // there was a SECOND error
    if (*error != nil) {
        NSLog(@"SECOND ERROR: %@", *error);
        return nil;
    }


    // return both or whatever
    return [NSArray arrayWithObjects:contents1, contents2, nil];
}

@end