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(C++) exception

Exceptions are a mechanism for error handling. The STL class for an exceptions is called std::exception.

Advice

• Use exceptions for error handling, instead of using return error codes [2,11]
• Throw an exception to indicate that you cannot perform an assigned task [1]
• Use purpose-designed user-defined types as exceptions (not built-in types) [3]
• Always catch exception& and ... [12]
• Don't try to catch every exception in every function [4]
• Release locally owned resources before throwing an exception [5]
• Don't use exceptions where more local control structures will suffice [6]
• Not every program needs to be exception-safe [7]
• Don't use exception specification [8]
• The STL exception hierarchy can be (but does not have to be) used for a user's own exceptions [13]
• Don't assume that every exception is derived from class std::exception [9]
• Have main catch and report every exception [10]
• If you can't use exceptions, consider system_error [14]

Reference

1. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 386: '[2] Throw an exception to indicate that you cannot perform an assigned task'
2. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 386: '[3] Use exceptions for error handling'
3. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 386: '[4] Use purpose-designed user-defined types as exceptions (not built-in types)'
4. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 387: '[8] Don't try to catch every exception in every function'
5. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 387: '[12] Release locally owned resources before throwing an exception'
6. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 387: '[14] Don't use exceptions where more local control structures will suffice'
7. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 387: '[17] Not every program needs to be exception-safe'
8. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 387: '[24] Don't use exception specification'
9. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 387: '[26] Don't assume that every exception is derived from class exception'
10. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 13.7. Advice. page 387: '[27] Have main() catch and report every exception'
11. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 30.5. Advice. page 883: '[9] Prefer exception-based error handling over return-code-based error handling'
12. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 30.5. Advice. page 883: '[10] Always catch exception& (for standard-library and language support exceptions) and ... (for unexpected exceptions)'
13. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 30.5. Advice. page 883: '[11] The standard-library exception hierarchy can be (but does not have to be) used for a user's own exceptions'
14. Bjarne Stroustrup. The C++ Programming Language (4th edition). 2013. ISBN: 978-0-321-56384-2. Chapter 30.5. Advice. page 884: '[15] If you can't use exceptions, consider <system_error>'

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