In C++, exception handling is a mechanism that allows you to handle exceptional situations that can occur during the execution of a program. C++ provides a set of predefined exceptions, as well as the ability to create custom exceptions.
The key components of exception handling in C++ are:
-
Throwing an Exception:
- You can throw an exception using the
throw
keyword, passing an object that represents the exception. - C++ provides a set of predefined exception types, such as
std::runtime_error
,std::logic_error
,std::bad_alloc
, and more. - You can also create custom exception types by defining your own classes that inherit from the
std::exception
base class.
- You can throw an exception using the
-
Catching an Exception:
- You use a
try-catch
block to catch exceptions. - The
try
block contains the code that might throw an exception, and thecatch
block(s) handle the exceptions. - You can catch specific exception types or catch all exceptions using the ellipsis (
...
) syntax.
- You use a
-
Exception Propagation:
- If an exception is not caught within the current scope, it is propagated up the call stack until it is caught by an appropriate exception handler.
- You can also use the
throw
keyword to re-throw an exception, allowing it to be caught and handled at a higher level.
Here's an example of exception handling in C++:
#include <iostream>
#include <stdexcept>
double divide(double a, double b) {
if (b == 0.0) {
throw std::runtime_error("Division by zero");
}
return a / b;
}
int main() {
try {
double result = divide(10.0, 0.0);
std::cout << "Result: " << result << std::endl;
} catch (const std::runtime_error& e) {
std::cerr << "Error: " << e.what() << std::endl;
} catch (...) {
std::cerr << "Unknown exception occurred" << std::endl;
}
return 0;
}
In this example, the divide()
function throws a std::runtime_error
exception if the divisor is zero. The main()
function calls the divide()
function inside a try
block, and catches the std::runtime_error
exception in a catch
block. If any other type of exception is thrown, the ellipsis (...
) catch block will handle it.
Exception handling in C++ provides several benefits, including:
- Separation of Concerns: It allows you to separate the regular program logic from the error-handling logic.
- Consistent Error Handling: Exception handling provides a standardized way to handle errors, making the code more predictable and easier to understand.
- Improved Robustness: By handling exceptions, you can make your program more resilient and able to gracefully handle unexpected situations.
- Flexibility: You can create custom exception types to suit your specific needs, and handle them in a consistent manner.
Exception handling is a powerful feature in C++ and is widely used in modern C++ development to ensure the reliability and robustness of applications.