Exceptions Handling in Java

Why is it not advisable to catch type "Exception"? Exception handling in Java is polymorphic in nature. For example if you catch type Exception in your code then it can catch or throw its descendent types like IOException as well. So if you catch the type Exception before the type IOException then the type Exception block will catch the entire exceptions and type IOException block is never reached. In order to catch the type IOException and handle it differently to type Exception, IOException should be caught first (remember that you can't have a bigger basket above a smaller basket). The diagram above is an example for illustration only. In practice it is not recommended to catch type "Exception". We should only catch specific subtypes of the Exception class. Having a bigger basket (i.e. Exception) will hide or cause problems. Since the RunTimeException is a subtype of Exception, catching the type Exception will catch all the run time exceptions (like NullPointerException, ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException) as well. Why should you throw an exception early? The exception stack trace helps you pinpoint where an exception occurred by showing you the exact sequence of method calls that lead to the exception. By throwing your exception early, the exception becomes more accurate and more specific. Avoid suppressing or ignoring exceptions. Also avoid using exceptions just to get a flow control. Instead of: // assume this line throws an exception because filename == null. InputStream in = new FileInputStream(fileName); … Use the following code because you get a more accurate stack trace: … if(filename == null) { throw new IllegalArgumentException("file name is null"); } InputStream in = new FileInputStream(fileName); Why should you catch a checked exception late in a catch {} block? You should not try to catch the exception before your program can handle it in an appropriate manner. The natural tendency when a compiler complains about a checked exception is to catch it so that the compiler stops reporting errors. It is a bad practice to sweep the exceptions under the carpet by catching it and not doing anything with it. The best practice is to catch the exception at the appropriate layer (e.g. an exception thrown at an integration layer can be caught at a presentation layer in a catch {} block), where your program can either meaningfully recover from the exception and continue to execute or log the exception only once in detail, so that user can identify the cause of the exception. When should you use a checked exception and when should you use an unchecked exception? Due to heavy use of checked exceptions and minimal use of unchecked exceptions, there has been a hot debate in the Java community regarding true value of checked exceptions. Use checked exceptions when the client code can take some useful recovery action based on information in exception. Use unchecked exception when client code cannot do anything. For example Convert your SQLException into another checked exception if the client code can recover from it. Convert your SQLException into an unchecked (i.e. RuntimeException) exception, if the client code can not recover from it. (Note: Hibernate 3 & Spring uses RuntimeExceptions prevalently). A note on key words for error handling: throw / throws – used to pass an exception to the method that called it. try – block of code will be tried but may cause an exception. catch – declares the block of code, which handles the exception. finally – block of code, which is always executed (except System.exit(0) call) no matter what program flow, occurs when dealing with an exception. assert – Evaluates a conditional expression to verify the programmer's assumption. What is a user defined exception? public class MyException extends Exception { /* class definition of constructors goes here */ public MyException() { super(); } public MyException (String errorMessage) { super (errorMessage); } } Throw and/or throws statement is used to signal the occurrence of an exception. To throw an exception: throw new MyException("I threw my own exception.") To declare an exception: public myMethod() throws MyException {…}