Exception handling (C++ only)

Exception handling is a mechanism that separates code that detects and handles exceptional circumstances from the rest of your program. Note that an exceptional circumstance is not necessarily an error.

When a function detects an exceptional situation, you represent this with an object. This object is called an exception object. In order to deal with the exceptional situation you throw the exception. This passes control, as well as the exception, to a designated block of code in a direct or indirect caller of the function that threw the exception. This block of code is called a handler. In a handler, you specify the types of exceptions that it may process. The C++ run time, together with the generated code, will pass control to the first appropriate handler that is able to process the exception thrown. When this happens, an exception is caught. A handler may rethrow an exception so it can be caught by another handler.

For IBM® i specific usage information, see "Handling Exceptions in a Program", chapter 21 in ILE C/C++ Programmers Guide.

The exception handling mechanism is made up of the following elements:

• try blocks
• catch blocks
• throw expressions
• Exception specifications (C++ only)