Code Smell 73 - Exceptions for Expected Cases
26 May, 2023
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Contributors
Exceptions are handy Gotos and flags. Let's abuse them.
TL;DR: Do not use exceptions for flow control.
Problems
- Readability
- Principle of least astonishment Violation.
Solutions
- Use Exceptions just for unexpected situations.
- Exceptions handle contract violations. Read the contract.
Sample Code
Wrong
try {
for (int i = 0;; i++)
array[i]++;
} catch (ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException e) {}
// Endless loop without end condition
Right
for (int index = 0; index < array.length; index++)
array[index]++;
// index < array.length breaks execution
Detection
This is a semantic smell. Unless we use machine learning linters it will be very difficult to find the mistakes.
Tags
- Readability
Conclusion
Exceptions are handy, and we should definitively use them instead of returning codes.
The boundary between correct usage and wrong usage is blur like so many design principles.
Relations
Code Smell 26 - Exceptions Polluting
More Info
Credits
Photo by Greg Rosenke on Unsplash
When debugging, novices insert corrective code; experts remove defective code.
Richard Pattis
Software Engineering Great Quotes
This article is part of the CodeSmell Series.