Should Exception Specifiers Be Used in C ?

The Case Against Exception Specifiers in C

Despite the availability of exception specifiers in C , their use is subject to debate. Some developers argue against their inclusion due to certain limitations and drawbacks.

Compiler Enforcement and Lack of Compile Errors

Exception specifiers do not provide rigorous compiler enforcement. While they indicate the intention of a function to throw or not, the compiler does not enforce these specifications strictly. This lack of error handling can result in runtime exceptions despite the exception specifier prohibiting them.

Program Termination on Exception Violation

If a function violates its exception specifier, the default behavior in the standard is often program termination. This drastic action can be undesirable, especially in applications where graceful error handling is crucial.

Inconsistent Interpretation in Visual Studio

Visual Studio treats throw(X) as throw(...), compromising adherence to the standard. This inconsistency can lead to confusion and unexpected behavior.

Criticisms Beyond Technical Issues

Aside from the technical concerns:

• Template Code: Exception specifications cannot be used in template code, making it difficult to specify exceptions for functions that may throw unknown exceptions.
• Extensibility: Prohibiting exceptions can hinder code extensibility, as new exceptions may need to be handled in the future.
• Legacy Code: Exception specifications may interfere with legacy code that does not adhere to them.
• Error Handling Best Practices: It is generally recommended to return error codes instead of throwing exceptions for common errors, reserving exceptions for exceptional circumstances.

Conclusion

Despite the ability to declare exception specifications, their use can lead to problems related to compiler enforcement, program termination, and limitations in certain scenarios. Therefore, the consensus among many developers is that exception specifiers should not be used in C . Instead, adherence to best practices such as returning error codes and catching exceptions appropriately provides a more robust and extensible approach to error handling.

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