Exception Handling

• Exception Handling in C++
• Exception Handling as Defined by the ANSI/ISO C++ International Standard
• Basic Exception Handling Example
• Function Try Block Examples
• Debugging Exception Handling
• Performance Considerations when using Exception Handling
• Migration Considerations when using Exception Handling

Exception Handling is the Default

CAUTION: If your executable throws no exceptions, object files compiled with and without the +noeh option can be mixed freely.

However, in an executable which throws exceptions (note that HP aC++ run-time libraries throw exceptions), you must be certain that no exception is thrown in your application which will unwind through a function compiled without the exception handling option turned on. In order to prevent this, the call graph for the program must never have calls from functions compiled without exception handling to functions compiled with exception handling (either direct calls or calls made through a callback mechanism). If such calls do exist, and an exception is thrown, the unwinding can cause:

• non-destruction of local objects (including compiler generated temporaries)
• memory leaks when destructors are not executed
• run-time errors when no catch clause is found

Exception Handling in C++

• A try block encloses (logically) code that can cause an exception that you want to catch.

• A catch clause, which immediately follows the try block, handles an exception of the type that can occur in the try block. The catch clause is the exception handler. You can have multiple catch clauses associated with a try block.

• If an error occurs, code in the try block throws an exception to an appropriate catch clause. The catch clause is ignored if an error does not occur.

• When an exception is thrown, control is transferred to the nearest handler defined to handle that type of exception. Nearest means the handler whose try block was most recently entered by the thread of control, and not yet exited.

Exception Handling as Defined by the ANSI/ISO C++ International Standard

The Standard C++ Library provides classes that C++ programs can use for reporting errors. These classes are defined in the header file <stdexcept> and described in the ANSI/ISO C++ International Standard.

• The class exception is the base class for object types thrown by the Standard C++ Library components and certain expressions.

• The runtime_error class defines errors due to events beyond the scope of the program.

• The logic_error class defines errors in the internal logic of the program.

For More Information

• Standard Exception Classes
• Standard Exceptions

Basic Exception Handling Example

The simple program shown here illustrates exception handling concepts. This program:

• contains a try block (from which a range error is thrown) and a catch clause, which prints the operand of the throw.
• uses the runtime_error class defined in the Standard C++ Library to report a range error.

Function Try Block Examples

A function can catch exceptions thrown during its execution by associating catch handlers with its body, using a function try block. Note the difference between the following example and the previous exception handling example. In this case, the try keyword comes before the function body's opening brace, and the catch handler comes after the function body's closing brace.

Function try blocks are sometimes necessary with class constructor destruction. A function try block is the only means of ensuring that all exceptions thrown during the construction of an object are caught within the constructor. For example:

Note that the function try block ensures the exception thrown from the member initializer is caught within the constructor.

Debugging Exception Handling

• HP WDB Debugger Documentation

Performance Considerations when using Exception Handling

HP aC++ exception handling has no significant performance impact at compile-time or run-time.