多年来,我一直无法得到以下问题的一个像样的答案:为什么一些开发人员如此反对受控异常?我有过无数次的对话,在博客上读过一些东西,读过Bruce Eckel说的话(我看到的第一个站出来反对他们的人)。

我目前正在编写一些新代码,并非常注意如何处理异常。我试图了解那些“我们不喜欢受控异常”的人的观点,但我仍然看不出来。

我的每一次谈话都以同样的问题结束。让我把它建立起来:

一般来说(从Java的设计方式来看),

Error is for things that should never be caught (VM has a peanut allergy and someone dropped a jar of peanuts on it) RuntimeException is for things that the programmer did wrong (programmer walked off the end of an array) Exception (except RuntimeException) is for things that are out of the programmer's control (disk fills up while writing to the file system, file handle limit for the process has been reached and you cannot open any more files) Throwable is simply the parent of all of the exception types.

我听到的一个常见的说法是,如果发生了异常,那么所有开发人员要做的就是退出程序。

我听到的另一个常见论点是受控异常使得重构代码更加困难。

对于“我要做的就是退出”的参数,我说即使你退出了,你也需要显示一个合理的错误消息。如果你只是在处理错误上押注,那么当程序在没有明确说明原因的情况下退出时,你的用户不会太高兴。

对于“它使重构变得困难”的人群来说,这表明没有选择适当的抽象级别。与其声明方法抛出IOException,不如将IOException转换为更适合当前情况的异常。

我对用catch(Exception)(或在某些情况下用catch(Throwable)包装Main没有问题,以确保程序可以优雅地退出-但我总是捕获我需要的特定异常。这样做至少可以显示适当的错误消息。

人们从来不会回答的问题是:

如果抛出RuntimeException 子类代替异常 子类,你怎么知道 你应该去抓?

如果答案是catch Exception,那么您也在以与系统异常相同的方式处理程序员错误。在我看来这是不对的。

如果你捕获Throwable,那么你是在以同样的方式处理系统异常和虚拟机错误(等等)。在我看来这是不对的。

如果答案是您只捕获您知道抛出的异常,那么您如何知道抛出了哪些异常呢?当程序员X抛出一个新的异常而忘记捕获它时会发生什么?这对我来说似乎很危险。

我认为显示堆栈跟踪的程序是错误的。不喜欢受控异常的人不会有这种感觉吗?

所以,如果你不喜欢受控异常,你能解释一下为什么不,并回答没有得到回答的问题吗?

我不是在寻求什么时候使用这两种模型的建议,我想知道的是为什么人们从RuntimeException扩展,因为他们不喜欢从Exception扩展,和/或为什么他们捕获一个异常然后重新抛出一个RuntimeException,而不是将抛出添加到他们的方法中。我想了解不喜欢受控异常的动机。


当前回答

我知道这是一个老问题,但我花了一段时间与受控异常搏斗,我有一些东西要补充。请原谅我的长度!

我对受控异常的主要不满是它们破坏了多态性。让它们很好地与多态接口一起工作是不可能的。

以Java List界面为例。我们有常见的内存实现,比如ArrayList和LinkedList。我们还有骨架类AbstractList,这使得设计新的列表类型变得很容易。对于只读列表,我们只需要实现两个方法:size()和get(int index)。

这个例子类WidgetList从一个文件中读取一些固定大小的Widget类型的对象(没有显示出来):

class WidgetList extends AbstractList<Widget> {
    private static final int SIZE_OF_WIDGET = 100;
    private final RandomAccessFile file;

    public WidgetList(RandomAccessFile file) {
        this.file = file;
    }

    @Override
    public int size() {
        return (int)(file.length() / SIZE_OF_WIDGET);
    }

    @Override
    public Widget get(int index) {
        file.seek((long)index * SIZE_OF_WIDGET);
        byte[] data = new byte[SIZE_OF_WIDGET];
        file.read(data);
        return new Widget(data);
    }
}

By exposing the Widgets using the familiar List interface, you can retrieve items (list.get(123)) or iterate a list (for (Widget w : list) ...) without needing to know about WidgetList itself. One can pass this list to any standard methods that use generic lists, or wrap it in a Collections.synchronizedList. Code that uses it need neither know nor care whether the "Widgets" are made up on the spot, come from an array, or are read from a file, or a database, or from across the network, or from a future subspace relay. It will still work correctly because the List interface is correctly implemented.

但事实并非如此。上面的类不能编译,因为文件访问方法可能会抛出一个IOException,一个你必须“捕获或指定”的受控异常。您不能将其指定为抛出——编译器不会允许您这样做,因为这会违反List接口的约定。而且WidgetList本身也没有处理异常的有用方法(我将在后面详细说明)。

显然,唯一要做的事情是捕获并重新抛出已检查异常作为一些未检查的异常:

@Override
public int size() {
    try {
        return (int)(file.length() / SIZE_OF_WIDGET);
    } catch (IOException e) {
        throw new WidgetListException(e);
    }
}

public static class WidgetListException extends RuntimeException {
    public WidgetListException(Throwable cause) {
        super(cause);
    }
}

(编辑:Java 8为这种情况添加了UncheckedIOException类:用于跨多态方法边界捕获和重新抛出ioexception。有点证明了我的观点!))

So checked exceptions simply don't work in cases like this. You can't throw them. Ditto for a clever Map backed by a database, or an implementation of java.util.Random connected to a quantum entropy source via a COM port. As soon as you try to do anything novel with the implementation of a polymorphic interface, the concept of checked exceptions fails. But checked exceptions are so insidious that they still won't leave you in peace, because you still have to catch and rethrow any from lower-level methods, cluttering the code and cluttering the stack trace.

我发现,无处不在的Runnable接口如果调用了抛出受控异常的东西,就经常会退到这个角落。它不能按原样抛出异常,所以它所能做的就是通过捕获并作为RuntimeException重新抛出而使代码变得混乱。

实际上,如果使用hack,可以抛出未声明的受控异常。JVM在运行时并不关心受控异常规则,因此我们只需要欺骗编译器。最简单的方法就是滥用泛型。这是我的方法(类名显示,因为(在Java 8之前)它是通用方法调用语法中必需的):

class Util {
    /**
     * Throws any {@link Throwable} without needing to declare it in the
     * method's {@code throws} clause.
     * 
     * <p>When calling, it is suggested to prepend this method by the
     * {@code throw} keyword. This tells the compiler about the control flow,
     * about reachable and unreachable code. (For example, you don't need to
     * specify a method return value when throwing an exception.) To support
     * this, this method has a return type of {@link RuntimeException},
     * although it never returns anything.
     * 
     * @param t the {@code Throwable} to throw
     * @return nothing; this method never returns normally
     * @throws Throwable that was provided to the method
     * @throws NullPointerException if {@code t} is {@code null}
     */
    public static RuntimeException sneakyThrow(Throwable t) {
        return Util.<RuntimeException>sneakyThrow1(t);
    }

    @SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
    private static <T extends Throwable> RuntimeException sneakyThrow1(
            Throwable t) throws T {
        throw (T)t;
    }
}

华友世纪!使用此方法,我们可以在堆栈的任何深度抛出检查异常,而无需声明它,无需将其包装在RuntimeException中,也不会使堆栈跟踪变得混乱!再次使用"WidgetList"的例子:

@Override
public int size() {
    try {
        return (int)(file.length() / SIZE_OF_WIDGET);
    } catch (IOException e) {
        throw sneakyThrow(e);
    }
}

不幸的是,对受控异常的最后一种侮辱是,如果编译器认为无法抛出受控异常,则拒绝允许您捕获该异常。(未检查的异常没有此规则。)要捕获偷偷抛出的异常,我们必须这样做:

try {
    ...
} catch (Throwable t) { // catch everything
    if (t instanceof IOException) {
        // handle it
        ...
    } else {
        // didn't want to catch this one; let it go
        throw t;
    }
}

这有点尴尬,但从好的方面来看,它仍然比提取包装在RuntimeException中的受控异常的代码稍微简单一些。

高兴的是,扔t;语句在这里是合法的,尽管检查了t的类型,这要归功于Java 7中添加的关于重新抛出捕获的异常的规则。


When checked exceptions meet polymorphism, the opposite case is also a problem: when a method is spec'd as potentially throwing a checked exception, but an overridden implementation doesn't. For example, the abstract class OutputStream's write methods all specify throws IOException. ByteArrayOutputStream is a subclass that writes to an in-memory array instead of a true I/O source. Its overridden write methods cannot cause IOExceptions, so they have no throws clause, and you can call them without worrying about the catch-or-specify requirement.

但并非总是如此。假设Widget有一个保存到流的方法:

public void writeTo(OutputStream out) throws IOException;

声明这个方法接受普通的OutputStream是正确的做法,因此它可以多态地用于各种输出:文件、数据库、网络等等。以及内存数组。然而,对于内存中的数组,有一个虚假的要求来处理一个实际上不会发生的异常:

ByteArrayOutputStream out = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
try {
    someWidget.writeTo(out);
} catch (IOException e) {
    // can't happen (although we shouldn't ignore it if it does)
    throw new RuntimeException(e);
}

像往常一样,受控异常会成为阻碍。如果变量声明为具有更多开放式异常需求的基类型,则必须为这些异常添加处理程序,即使您知道它们不会出现在应用程序中。

但是等等,受控异常实际上非常烦人,它们甚至不允许您做相反的事情!想象一下,您当前捕获了OutputStream上的write调用抛出的任何IOException,但您想将变量的声明类型更改为ByteArrayOutputStream,编译器将斥责您试图捕获它说不能抛出的检查异常。

That rule causes some absurd problems. For example, one of the three write methods of OutputStream is not overridden by ByteArrayOutputStream. Specifically, write(byte[] data) is a convenience method that writes the full array by calling write(byte[] data, int offset, int length) with an offset of 0 and the length of the array. ByteArrayOutputStream overrides the three-argument method but inherits the one-argument convenience method as-is. The inherited method does exactly the right thing, but it includes an unwanted throws clause. That was perhaps an oversight in the design of ByteArrayOutputStream, but they can never fix it because it would break source compatibility with any code that does catch the exception -- the exception that has never, is never, and never will be thrown!

That rule is annoying during editing and debugging too. E.g., sometimes I'll comment out a method call temporarily, and if it could have thrown a checked exception, the compiler will now complain about the existence of the local try and catch blocks. So I have to comment those out too, and now when editing the code within, the IDE will indent to the wrong level because the { and } are commented out. Gah! It's a small complaint but it seems like the only thing checked exceptions ever do is cause trouble.


我快做完了。我对受控异常的最后一个不满是,在大多数调用站点上,没有什么有用的东西可以用它们来做。理想情况下,当出现问题时,我们应该有一个称职的特定于应用程序的处理程序,可以通知用户问题和/或适当地结束或重试操作。只有堆栈中较高的处理程序才能做到这一点,因为它是唯一知道总体目标的处理程序。

相反,我们得到了下面的习语,这是一种关闭编译器的猖獗方式:

try {
    ...
} catch (SomeStupidExceptionOmgWhoCares e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
}

在GUI或自动化程序中,打印的消息将不会被看到。更糟糕的是,它在异常之后继续执行其余代码。异常实际上不是一个错误吗?那就别印出来。否则,马上就会出现其他异常,此时原始异常对象将消失。这个习惯用法不比BASIC的On Error Resume Next或PHP的error_reporting(0);更好。

调用某种类型的记录器类也好不到哪里去:

try {
    ...
} catch (SomethingWeird e) {
    logger.log(e);
}

这就像e.p printstacktrace()一样懒惰;仍然在不确定的状态下继续编写代码。另外,特定日志系统或其他处理程序的选择是特定于应用程序的,因此这会影响代码重用。

但是等等!有一种简单而通用的方法可以找到特定于应用程序的处理程序。它位于调用堆栈的更高位置(或者它被设置为线程的未捕获异常处理程序)。因此,在大多数情况下,您所需要做的就是将异常抛出到堆栈的更高位置。例如,投掷;受控异常只会碍事。

我确信,在设计语言时,受控异常听起来是个好主意,但在实践中,我发现它们都很麻烦,而且没有任何好处。

其他回答

良好的证明Checked Exception是不需要的:

A lot of framework that does some work for Java. Like Spring that wraps JDBC exception to unchecked exceptions, throwing messages to the log Lot of languages that came after java, even on top on java platform - they do not use them Checked exceptions, it is kind prediction about how the client would use the code that throws an exception. But a developer who writes this code would never know about the system and business that client of code is working in. As an example Interfcace methods that force to throw checked exception. There are 100 implementation over the system, 50 or even 90 of implementations do not throw this exception, but the client still must to catch this exception if he user reference to that interface. Those 50 or 90 implementations tend to handle those exceptions inside themself, putting exception to the log (and this is good behavior for them). What we should do with that? I would better have some background logic that would do all that job - sending message to the log. And If I, as a client of code, would feel I need handle the exception - I will do it. I may forget about it, right - but if I use TDD, all my steps are covered and I know what I want. Another example when I'm working with I/O in java, it forces me to check all exception, if file does not exists? what I should do with that? If it does not exists, the system would not go to the next step. The client of this method, would not get expected content from that file - he can handle Runtime Exception, otherwise I should first check Checked Exception, put a message to log, then throw exception up out form the method. No...no - I would better do it automatically with RuntimeEception, that does it / lits up automatically. There is no any sense to handle it manually - I would be happy I saw an error message in the log (AOP can help with that.. something that fixes java). If, eventually, I deice that system should shows pop-up message to the end user - I will show it, not a problem.

我很高兴java能让我选择使用什么,当使用核心库时,比如I/O。Like提供了相同类的两个副本——一个用RuntimeEception包装。然后我们可以比较人们会使用什么。但是现在,很多人会选择java或其他语言之上的框架。比如Scala, JRuby等等。许多人相信SUN是对的。

这并不是反对受控异常的纯概念,但是Java用于受控异常的类层次结构是一个畸形秀。我们总是简单地称这些东西为“异常”——这是正确的,因为语言规范也这样称呼它们——但是异常在类型系统中是如何命名和表示的呢?

By the class Exception one imagines? Well no, because Exceptions are exceptions, and likewise exceptions are Exceptions, except for those exceptions that are not Exceptions, because other exceptions are actually Errors, which are the other kind of exception, a kind of extra-exceptional exception that should never happen except when it does, and which you should never catch except sometimes you have to. Except that's not all because you can also define other exceptions that are neither Exceptions nor Errors but merely Throwable exceptions.

哪些是“已检查”异常?可抛出异常是受控异常,除非它们也是错误,是未检查的异常,然后是异常,也是可抛出异常,是受控异常的主要类型,除了有一个例外,那就是if它们也是runtimeexception,因为那是另一种未检查的异常。

What are RuntimeExceptions for? Well just like the name implies, they're exceptions, like all Exceptions, and they happen at run-time, like all exceptions actually, except that RuntimeExceptions are exceptional compared to other run-time Exceptions because they aren't supposed to happen except when you make some silly error, although RuntimeExceptions are never Errors, so they're for things that are exceptionally erroneous but which aren't actually Errors. Except for RuntimeErrorException, which really is a RuntimeException for Errors. But aren't all exceptions supposed to represent erroneous circumstances anyway? Yes, all of them. Except for ThreadDeath, an exceptionally unexceptional exception, as the documentation explains that it's a "normal occurrence" and that that's why they made it a type of Error.

Anyway, since we're dividing all exceptions down the middle into Errors (which are for exceptional execution exceptions, so unchecked) and Exceptions (which are for less exceptional execution errors, so checked except when they're not), we now need two different kinds of each of several exceptions. So we need IllegalAccessError and IllegalAccessException, and InstantiationError and InstantiationException, and NoSuchFieldError and NoSuchFieldException, and NoSuchMethodError and NoSuchMethodException, and ZipError and ZipException.

只不过,即使检查了异常,也总有(相当简单的)方法可以欺骗编译器,在不检查的情况下抛出异常。如果你这样做,你可能会得到一个不确定的throwableexception,除非在其他情况下,它可能抛出一个意外的dexception,或一个未知的异常(与未知的错误无关,只针对“严重的异常”),或一个ExecutionException,或一个InvocationTargetException,或一个ExceptionInInitializerError。

哦,我们一定不能忘记Java 8时髦的新UncheckedIOException,这是一个RuntimeException异常,设计用来通过包装由I/O错误(不会引起IOError异常,尽管也存在)引起的已检查的IOException异常来抛出异常检查的概念,这些异常异常难以处理,因此您需要它们不被检查。

由于Java !

简而言之:

异常是一个API设计问题。——不多不少。

检查异常的参数:

为了理解受控异常为什么不是好事,让我们把问题转过来问:受控异常什么时候或为什么有吸引力,也就是说,为什么你希望编译器强制声明异常?

答案是显而易见的:有时您需要捕获异常,而这只有在被调用的代码为您感兴趣的错误提供了特定的异常类时才有可能。

因此,受控异常的理由是,编译器强迫程序员声明抛出了哪些异常,希望程序员随后也会记录特定的异常类和导致异常的错误。

但在现实中,往往是一个包装。acme只抛出AcmeException而不抛出特定的子类。然后调用者需要处理、声明或重新发出acmeexception信号,但仍然不能确定是发生了AcmeFileNotFoundError还是发生了AcmePermissionDeniedError。

因此,如果您只对AcmeFileNotFoundError感兴趣,解决方案是向ACME程序员提交一个特性请求,并告诉他们实现、声明和记录AcmeException的子类。

所以为什么要麻烦呢?

因此,即使使用受控异常,编译器也不能强迫程序员抛出有用的异常。这仍然只是API质量的问题。

因此,没有受控异常的语言通常情况不会更糟。程序员可能倾向于抛出一般Error类的非特定实例,而不是AcmeException,但如果他们完全关心API质量,他们终究会学会引入AcmeFileNotFoundError。

总的来说,异常的规范和文档与普通方法的规范和文档没有太大的区别。这些也是一个API设计问题,如果程序员忘记实现或导出一个有用的特性,那么API就需要改进,以便您可以有效地使用它。

如果遵循这条推理线,很明显,在Java等语言中非常常见的声明、捕获和重新抛出异常的“麻烦”通常没有什么价值。

同样值得注意的是,Java VM没有检查过的异常——只有Java编译器检查它们,并且在运行时,类文件的异常声明更改后是兼容的。Java虚拟机的安全性并不是通过受控异常来提高的,而是通过编码风格来提高的。

试图解决这个尚未解决的问题:

如果抛出RuntimeException子类而不是Exception子类,那么您如何知道应该捕获什么?

恕我直言,这个问题包含似是而非的推理。仅仅因为API告诉你它抛出了什么并不意味着你在所有情况下都以相同的方式处理它。 换句话说,您需要捕获的异常取决于您使用抛出异常的组件的上下文。

例如:

如果我正在为数据库编写连接测试程序,或者编写检查用户输入XPath的有效性的程序,那么我可能希望捕获并报告操作抛出的所有已检查和未检查的异常。

然而,如果我正在编写一个处理引擎,我可能会以与NPE相同的方式处理XPathException (checked):我将让它运行到工作线程的顶部,跳过该批处理的其余部分,记录问题(或将其发送给支持部门进行诊断),并为用户联系支持人员留下反馈。

正如人们已经说过的,Java字节码中不存在受控异常。它们只是一种编译器机制,与其他语法检查没有什么不同。我看到很多受控异常,就像我看到编译器抱怨一个冗余的条件:if(true) {a;b;}。这很有帮助,但我可能是故意这么做的,所以我忽略你的警告。

事实是,如果你强制执行受控异常,你将无法强迫每个程序员“做正确的事情”,而其他人现在都是附带损害,他们只是因为你制定的规则而讨厌你。

修复坏程序!不要试图修改语言来阻止它们!对于大多数人来说,“对异常做一些事情”实际上只是告诉用户它。我也可以告诉用户一个未检查的异常,所以不要让您的已检查异常类出现在我的API中。