10 Kotlin Exception Handling Best Practices
Exceptions are important in any programming language, but Kotlin has some specific best practices to follow. Here are 10 of them.
Exception handling is an important part of any programming language. Kotlin is no exception. It provides a robust set of features for handling exceptions, but it’s important to use them correctly.
In this article, we’ll discuss 10 best practices for exception handling in Kotlin. We’ll look at how to use try-catch blocks, how to use the finally block, and how to use the Kotlin exception classes. We’ll also discuss how to use the Kotlin exception classes to create custom exceptions. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your code is robust and reliable.
1. Don’t use exceptions for normal control flow
Exceptions are expensive and can slow down your program. They should only be used for exceptional cases, such as when an error occurs or a user input is invalid.
Using exceptions for normal control flow can also make it difficult to debug your code. If you use exceptions for normal control flow, then the stack trace will not accurately reflect what happened in your program. This makes it harder to identify where the problem occurred and how to fix it.
Finally, using exceptions for normal control flow can lead to unexpected behavior. For example, if you throw an exception from within a loop, the loop may terminate unexpectedly. To avoid this, always use traditional control flow structures like if-else statements and while loops instead of throwing exceptions.
2. Avoid checked exceptions
Checked exceptions are those that must be declared in a method’s signature or handled within the body of the method. This means that any code calling this method must either declare it as throwing an exception, or handle it itself.
This can lead to a lot of boilerplate code and makes your code more difficult to read and maintain. In Kotlin, you should instead use unchecked exceptions, which don’t need to be declared or handled. Unchecked exceptions are still thrown when something goes wrong, but they don’t require extra handling from the caller.
3. Use Kotlin exception classes to represent errors
Kotlin exception classes are designed to be more specific than Java exceptions, and they provide a better way of representing errors. They also allow you to create custom error messages that can help developers debug their code faster. Additionally, Kotlin exception classes make it easier to handle errors in a structured way, which helps reduce the amount of boilerplate code needed for error handling.
4. Catch the most specific exception first
When you catch an exception, the code inside the catch block is executed. If you catch a more general exception first, then any exceptions that are more specific to the problem won’t be caught and handled properly. This can lead to unexpected behavior in your program.
For example, if you have a try-catch block with two catches: one for IOException and one for FileNotFoundException, it’s important to put the FileNotFoundException catch first. That way, if a file isn’t found, the FileNotFoundException will be caught and handled before the more general IOException is caught.
5. Always catch or throw in a try block
When you catch an exception, it’s important to handle the error in a way that won’t cause your program to crash. By catching exceptions in a try block, you can ensure that any errors are handled gracefully and don’t cause unexpected behavior.
Similarly, when throwing an exception, it’s important to make sure that the code is wrapped in a try block so that the exception is thrown properly and not lost or ignored. This will help ensure that any errors are caught and handled appropriately.
6. Document all exceptions thrown by your functions
When a function throws an exception, it’s important to document what type of exception is thrown so that other developers can handle the exception properly. This helps ensure that any code calling your functions will be able to handle exceptions correctly and avoid unexpected errors or crashes.
Documenting all exceptions also makes debugging easier since you’ll know exactly which type of exception was thrown when something goes wrong. Additionally, documenting exceptions allows for better error messages, as they can include information about the specific exception being thrown.
7. Create custom exceptions when needed
When you create custom exceptions, you can provide more meaningful error messages to the user. This makes it easier for them to understand what went wrong and how to fix it. Additionally, custom exceptions allow you to add additional context to the exception that may be useful in debugging or logging.
Creating custom exceptions also allows you to separate different types of errors into distinct categories. For example, if your application has a payment system, you could create a PaymentException class that would contain all the errors related to payments. This way, when an error occurs, you can easily identify which part of the code is causing the issue.
8. Prefer using standard library exceptions
Standard library exceptions are well-defined and documented, so they provide a consistent way of handling errors. This makes it easier for developers to understand the codebase and debug any issues that arise. Additionally, standard library exceptions can be caught by other libraries or frameworks, which allows you to integrate your code with external services more easily. Finally, using standard library exceptions helps ensure that your code is compatible with future versions of Kotlin.
9. Throw exceptions early and fail fast
When an exception is thrown, the program stops executing and jumps to the catch block. This means that any code after the throw statement will not be executed.
By throwing exceptions early, you can avoid running unnecessary code and save time. Additionally, it makes debugging easier since you know exactly where the problem occurred. Finally, failing fast helps prevent errors from propagating throughout your application, which could lead to more serious issues down the line.
10. Don’t ignore caught exceptions
Ignoring caught exceptions can lead to unexpected behavior in your code, as the exception is not handled properly.
When you catch an exception, it’s important to handle it correctly. This means either logging the error or displaying a meaningful message to the user. Ignoring caught exceptions can also cause performance issues, as the program will continue running even though there was an issue that needs to be addressed.
Finally, ignoring caught exceptions can make debugging more difficult, as the source of the problem may not be immediately apparent. To ensure your code runs smoothly and efficiently, always take the time to properly handle any exceptions that are thrown.