Shaun Abram
Java and Technology weblog
Subscribe to RSS FeedExceptions versus Return Values
In a previous post here, I blogged about checked exceptions and how I felt they are a useful tool in your Java toolbox. It is generally accepted that errors, or unrecoverable events, should be dealt with using unchecked exceptions and that recoverable problems, or contingencies, should be dealt with using checked exceptions.
However, there is another option for dealing with recoverable problems, i.e. using return values.
Tags: exceptions
Checked Exceptions
The use of checked exceptions in Java is still widely debated. This post contains thoughts on their use by Java experts such as James Gosling, Joshua Bloch (Effective Java) and Bruce Eckel (Thinking in Java), before countering some of the arguments against their use, such as how I don’t believe they break encapsulation, and that their use shouldn’t be limited to truly exceptional conditions. It finishes by looking at when alternatives to checked exceptions should be used. The overall slant of the article is that there are many reasons why Exceptions, including checked Exceptions, should still be a part of your Java arsenal.
Tags: exceptions