DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Runtime Error
Unexpected error that terminates a program.
Undesirable

COMP1008 Exceptions

Not detectable by compiler. Caused by:

Errors in the program logic. Unexpected failure of services
E.g., file server goes down.

2006, Graham Roberts

2006, Graham Roberts

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Exception example int x = 1 ; int y = 0 ; int z = x / y ;

java.lang.ArithmeticException: / by zero at T9.main(T9.java:7)

Call Stack Trace

apple.awt.EventQueueExceptionHandler Caught Throwable : java.lang.ArithmeticException: / by zero java.lang.ArithmeticException: / by zero at uk.ac.ucl.cs.editor.MemoListEditor.backward(MemoListEditor.java:60) at uk.ac.ucl.cs.view.SwingMemoListView$4.actionPerformed(SwingMemoListView.java:173) at javax.swing.AbstractButton.fireActionPerformed(AbstractButton.java:1819) at javax.swing.AbstractButton$ForwardActionEvents.actionPerformed(AbstractButton.java:1872) at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.fireActionPerformed(DefaultButtonModel.java:420) at javax.swing.DefaultButtonModel.setPressed(DefaultButtonModel.java:258) at javax.swing.plaf.basic.BasicButtonListener.mouseReleased(BasicButtonListener.java:247) at java.awt.Component.processMouseEvent(Component.java:5166) at java.awt.Component.processEvent(Component.java:4963) at java.awt.Container.processEvent(Container.java:1613) at java.awt.Component.dispatchEventImpl(Component.java:3681) at java.awt.Container.dispatchEventImpl(Container.java:1671) at java.awt.Component.dispatchEvent(Component.java:3543) at java.awt.EventDispatchThread.run(EventDispatchThread.java:100) etc.

This message is displayed when the code is executed. You typically see a call stack trace.

2006, Graham Roberts

2006, Graham Roberts

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Null pointer exception

Should be familiar...

Stack
A stack is a last-in first-out queue: Items are pushed on, and popped off the pile. Can use an ArrayList to store stack contents.

java.lang.NullPointerException at T10.main(T10.java:7)
(So references are really pointers according to the JVM!)

Pop

Push

Top of stack

2006, Graham Roberts

2006, Graham Roberts

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Class Stack
class Stack<T> { private ArrayList<T> contents; public Stack()
{ contents = new ArrayList<T>();} // Methods push, pop, top ...
This is a generic Stack class. T is a type variable that is instantiated with a real type in a declaration.

Programmers make mistakes!

Stack<Double> s = new Stack<Double>() ; // Empty stack Double d = s.pop() ; // Whoops!! System.out.println(s.top()) ; // What is printed?

How can you force someone to take notice when these kinds of errors are made?
Best answer: Use test-first programming.

Stack<Integer> = new Stack<Integer>();

2006, Graham Roberts

2006, Graham Roberts

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

(Non) Solution 1
Ignore the problem and hope it never happens! Relies on object always being used correctly...

Solution 2 Print out an error message.

public Object pop() { if (contents.size() == 0) // empty { System.out.println(Stack empty); return null; } else return contents.remove(0); } What value is returned? Caller must deal with null being returned. Message may be noticed but which call of pop caused the problem?

2006, Graham Roberts

2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Solution 3

Solution 4

Stop the program!

public T pop() { if (contents.size() == 0) // empty { System.out.println(Stack is empty) ; System.exit(1) ; // Force program to stop return null; // Needed to compile but not used } else return contents.remove(0); }

Bad design to put output into data structure class like this. Don't do it!

public T pop() { if (contents.size() == 0) // empty { return null; // silent default action if empty } else { return contents.remove(0); } }

Cant avoid noticing this! But still little information about where and why.

Take some default action and rely on client code doing right thing with result. But moves problem somewhere else, without compiler checking correctness.
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2006, Graham Roberts

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Solution 5

Java Exception Mechanism

Throw an exception!
To allow program execution to continue after an error. Or, at least, terminate gracefully. Uses five keywords in the language: try, catch, throw, throws, finally

public T pop() throws EmptyStackException { if (contents.size() == 0) // empty { throw new EmptyStackException(); } // Note no return needed here else { return contents.remove(0); } }

Force the program to deal with the error or terminate. Force the compiler to check code. Force the programmer to write the code properly.

2006, Graham Roberts

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Try and catch try { a.doSomething() ; } catch (Exception e) { // Handle the exception }
A try block tries to execute statements.

Throw throw new MyException (Method doSomething failed) ;

The throw statement throws an exception. It takes an exception object reference as an argument. Somewhere a catch block must catch the exception.
A catch block catches exceptions thrown from the try block.

2006, Graham Roberts

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Catch
catch (Exception e) { ... }

Multiple catch expressions

Several catch expressions can be given to catch a range of exception objects of different classes:
catch (MyException e1) { } catch (NumberFormatException n) { } catch (InvalidDataException i) { }

This catches an object of library class Exception or any of its subclasses. Typically, your exceptions are subclasses of class Exception.
catch (MyException e) { ... }
A subclass extends another class. Exception represents exceptions in general, a subclass represents a specific kind of exception like EmptyStackException.

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Finally finally
try { f() ; } catch (MyException e) // optional { // Do something } finally { // Guaranteed to execute // this whatever happens. }
2006, Graham Roberts

Standard Exception Classes

Throwable
Superclass of all exception classes.

Error (extends Throwable)

Serious error that is not usually recoverable.

Exception (extends Throwable)

A finally block will be always be executed regardless of what else happens.

Error that must be caught and recovered from.

RuntimeException (extends Exception)

Error that may be caught if desired.

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

class Throwable

Writing an exception class

class MyException extends Exception The extends keyword { specifies that public MyException () MyException is a subclass of Exception. { super(Default message) ; } public MyException (String s) { super (s) ; } }

Throwable provides:

A String to store a message about an exception. A method String getMessage() to return the message string. A method printStackTrace. And a few other methods.

Subclasses extend Throwable and can add further

variables and methods. that must be caught.

Most, but not all, Exception classes represent exceptions

The compiler will check. A small number of Exception classes represent exceptions
that do not need to be caught.
2006, Graham Roberts

We will be looking at subclasses in detail later in the course.

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Questions?

An Example
public void f(String s) // s should represent an integer. { int tmp ; try { tmp = Integer.parseInt(s) ; // This can fail } catch (NumberFormatException e) { tmp = -1 ; // Set tmp to some default value } // Carry on and use tmp }

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Integer.parseInt public static int parseInt (String s) throws NumberFormatException { return parseInt(s,10) ; } parseInt is overloaded and calls another version of parseInt that can throw an exception. This version does not catch the exception but declares that it can occur.

Throws keyword A method can directly or indirectly throw an exception without catching it.
the exception must be declared by a throws declaration, for class Exception and subclasses (excluding RuntimeException).

If not, the compiler will fail the code.

Guarantees that exception will be used correctly.

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Integer.parseInt (2)
public static int parseInt(String s, int radix) throws NumberFormatException { if (s == null) { throw new NumberFormatException("null"); } if (radix < Character.MIN_RADIX) { throw new NumberFormatException ("radix " + radix + " less than Character.MIN_RADIX"); }
2006, Graham Roberts

Integer.parseInt (3)
For every invalid state detected in the method body an exception is thrown. The method does not attempt to catch its own exceptions. Catching is left to the caller of the method.
Or caller of the caller of the method

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Integer.parseInt (4)
When an exception is thrown the method terminates immediately.
without returning a value in the normal way.

Integer.parseInt (5) parseInt(String s, int radix)

Call
Error Throw

The exception is thrown back to the calling method. The caller method either:
catches the exception. or it terminates immediately and throws the exception back to its caller.

parseInt(String s)
Throw on without catching

Call

f()
Catch and handle
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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Propagating exceptions
Passing an exception up through a chain of active method calls is called propagation. The active methods calls are those still in progress, leading to the point where the exception occurred.

Uncaught Exceptions
If an exception is passed back to the main method without being caught the program will terminate with an error.
However, program wont compile if exception must be caught.
I.e., subclass of Exception (excl. RuntimeException).

Good design and testing practice will avoid this happening...

2006, Graham Roberts

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Stack class revisited

Define a StackException class. Any Stack method that can fail should throw an exception (e.g., empty/full stack). Stack does not catch its own exceptions. Clients of Stack must be prepared to catch the exceptions.
The calling method, or a method that calls it, must have a catch block for the exception.

Stack client
public void aMethod(Stack<String> aStack) { String s; try { s = aStack.pop(); } catch (StackException e) { // Do something to recover // from problem } // ... rest of method }
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2006, Graham Roberts

or

public void aMethod(Stack<String> aStack) throws StackException { String s = aStack.pop(); // ... rest of method }

The method or a method that calls it must contain the catch block.

2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

When to use Exceptions

The normal sequence of events fails.
I/O and user action. Method cannot proceed and there is no practical return value (e.g., parseInt). Need to return control to a method at top of call stack.

Issues
Too many exceptions require too many try/catch blocks.
Complicates code. Can reduce readability. Many methods need throws declaration.

Not a substitute for using return.

But can simplify.

Some code is written assuming no errors, so simpler.

A balance is needed.

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Local v. Global
Some local operation (parseInt, open file) may fail.
Deal with problem locally and proceed.

More Information
Read the text book.

Top level method(s) catch exceptions from anywhere in program.

Terminate current operation but leave program running. Top level strategy for handling errors (e.g., save data).

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2006, Graham Roberts

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DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Summary
Exceptions allow errors to be represented and handled in a safe way. Java uses the try, catch & throw mechanism. Throwing an exception forces client code to do something. Dont forget finally.

2006, Graham Roberts

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