Exception Handling in Java

Exception Handling in Java is a way to tackle abnormal occurrences which interrupts the normal flow of the program.

Contents

• Introduction
• What is Exception Handling?
• Exception Handling Keywords in Java
• Types of Exception Handling
• Hierarchy of Exceptions class in Java
• Java Exception Handling Example
• In Conclusion

Introduction

This article goes through the details of Exception Handling in Java. It covers the exception handling mechanism, types of exceptions, and hierarchy of exception classes, along with a complete example. 

Let’s begin by understanding exceptions first.  

What is Exception Handling?

Exceptions are basically abnormal circumstance that occurs at runtime. Hence, to handle such an unfortunate situation, we have an exception handling mechanism. 

Exception handling is a way to tackle these abnormal situations gracefully, which helps develops to debug their code easily. Moreover, it helps in maintaining the flow of code execution.

In Java, an exception is a java object which gets created when an exceptional condition occurs and disturbs the normal flow of the program. For instance, an attempt to divide a number by 0. 

1. The occurrence of an exception condition invokes the method to create an exception object and throws it to the java runtime system. FYI, the exception object contains the exception name, type, description, and current state of execution.
2. Afterward, first, the java runtime starts searching for the exception handler in the method which created the exception object. 
3. Then, it searches in the calling method (usually the main method). 
4. In case there’s no exception handler in the program, the java runtime terminates it. Else catches the exception.

The below diagram shows the flow of handling an exception in java.

Syntax:

try
{
//code to be monitored for an exception 
throw exception_object 
//throw an exception object to the Java Runtime
} 
catch(exception_object)
{
//exception handler for catching the exception_object
}
finally
{
//The code will get executed in any case
}

Example: Simple try-catch block usage for exception handling

Output:

Explanation: The moment an exception occurs in the try block, the flow of execution jumps to the matching catch block. For the time, all the statements in between are skipped, and statements under the catch block get executed. Afterward, the control goes back to the try block and continues normal execution. 

Exception Handling Keywords in Java

Following are the 5 keywords to define exception handling in Java:

Keywords	What do they do?
try	The statements susceptible to a runtime error fall under the try block. A try block can’t exist independently. It has to accompany by either catch or finally block.
catch	The catch block contains the statements of action to be taken when an exception occurs in the try block. Catch used without a try block leads to a compile-time error.
finally	This block contains a set of statements that executes whether or not an exception is thrown.
throw	The throw keyword utilizes to throw the exception explicitly.
throws	This keyword is used with the method prototype which indicates the type of exceptions that the method might throw to the java runtime.

Types of Exceptions in Java

The exceptions divide into 2 categories:

Checked Exceptions: These exceptions are a must-handle. As ignorance leads to errors by the compiler. Hence, creates a compile-time error. Ex: ClassNotFoundException, IllegalAccessException, etc.

Unchecked Exceptions: These are runtime exceptions caught by the java runtime system. It is not compulsory to handle unchecked exceptions. As they are anyway handled by JVM. Ex: ArithmeticException, NullPointerException, ArrayStoreException, etc.

Hierarchy of Exceptions class in Java

All these classes are present in java.lang package.

Object class stands at the root of the Hierarchy. Throwable is the subclass of object class and serves as a superclass for Errors and Exception classes. In addition, Errors are incidents that can’t be handled. Usually, errors are created by the JVM system. On other hand, the Exception class handles the checked exceptions, Moreover, it includes the RuntimeException class to handle unchecked exceptions.

Java Exception Handling Example

Output:

In Conclusion

I hope the above article helped you build an understanding of exception handling in java. If you have any queries feel to reach us with the link below.

Also, read: Top 160 Java Interview Questions and Answers for 2022

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