How to Catch Runtime Exceptions in an ICEM World

Introduction

Software Developers are a creative breed, using wits, skills, and knowledge to craft clever solutions.  Programming languages allow them to express their ideas any way they want, to accomplish the task.  Advances in programming languages over the past several decades have made languages (and compilers) that catch and prevent many types of problems that can bring down a system.  However, one thing that has had way too little attention is the handling of trapped exceptions that could end up raising errors to admins or sysops.

An Integrated Centralized Error Management System (ICEMS) enables users to instantly identify and contribute solutions, and programmers to design their software to integrate centralized error management.  However, it is absolutely key to ensure the following of Best Practices to make it usable to users and developers.

Implement Robust Error Handling

To catch runtime exceptions effectively, it is essential to implement robust error handling mechanisms within your software application. This involves using try-catch blocks to capture and handle exceptions that may occur during runtime. By wrapping code segments that could potentially throw exceptions within try blocks, you can ensure that exceptions are caught and handled gracefully.  But it isn't enough just to handle them gracefully - with ICEM, you also want to make sure you define unique codes, and utilize a custom exception class that allows exceptions to incorporate the code and a reference link to the ICEM system.

To do this, begin by extending the Exception class.  For our extension, we want to ensure that the class has both a requirement for a unique error code, a software identifier (like a software name, "Microsoft Word" for example), and can generate a reference link to an ICEMS.

Understand the Exception Hierarchy

Familiarize yourself with the exception hierarchy in your programming language or framework. Different types of exceptions indicate specific error conditions. By understanding the exception hierarchy, you can catch and handle exceptions more precisely. This allows you to provide appropriate error messages to users, log relevant information for troubleshooting, and take necessary actions to prevent application crashes.  But let's take it one step further - we also want to both provide solutions, and allow the user to interact with the solutions by posting or commenting on his own.  This lets the solution set grow and adapt.

For Microsoft C#, for example, these are handled by the System.Exception class.  If you subclass this with a custom class, you can add your own like this:

Note that we are:

• Subclassing Exception class
• Adding identifiers for the app name and version
• Adding an Error Code
• Setting up a dynamic property named HelpLink that generates a URL link to the ICEMS

If you really want to add more value to the data returned, you can also add an array of solutions, and perform the lookup to the error code on the ICEMS in the constructor (shown below).

Next, we need constructors that handle the throwing of the exception:

The default constructor does nothing special - this probably should not be used by your app.

A simple constructor just takes message and code - good enough.

A more generic constructor (optional) allows the caller to specify app and version - this is useful in a reusable library that is used across many different app projects.

If you wish, you can define a whole hierarchy of Exception classes - depending on how complex your application is, and how complex your error conditions can be.  For most cases, however, the simpler the better.  The purpose of defining multiple custom Exception classes would be to help the calling code better determine what to do.  And, following good OO practices, if you do have a lot of classes, you should arrange them in a logical hierarchy to aid in the structuring and management of those classes.

If you also make the REST call to CodaEA, you can collect the array of solutions from the result and store them in the array on the exception object you are constructing - contact TPR for examples of this.

Throwing the Exception

Just like in baseball, the play is only as good as the pitch.  If your code is handling a situation that would (or could) be considered an error by the caller, the more specific of a type you can throw, the better the caller can do triage and determine the cause of the problem.  In the above section, we created a single, "generic" ICEM-compliant exception type that can be thrown.  However, if you wanted to handle more types of problems in a complex application, it might be advisable to define multiple exception classes to help the calling code handle different types of problems.

It is a good general rule that, with a few exceptions, all of your code should be within Try/Catch blocks.  If your language does not have a Try/Catch statement block, then you will have to go through a lot more manual setup than a simple custom Exception class and Throw/Catch statements.

Catching and Reporting

Using multiple catch blocks enables you to handle different types of exceptions separately. By catching specific exceptions and providing tailored error handling logic for each type, you can improve the precision and effectiveness of your exception handling. This approach allows you to address different error scenarios more appropriately, leading to better user experiences and faster issue resolution.

Logging and Error Reporting

In an ICEM world, logging and error reporting are crucial for proactive issue detection and troubleshooting. Implement a comprehensive logging mechanism that captures relevant information about runtime exceptions. This includes stack traces, error messages, and contextual data. By logging exceptions, you can gain insights into the root causes of errors and analyze patterns to identify recurring issues. Additionally, implementing error reporting features can enable users to provide feedback, helping you gather valuable information for bug fixes and improving the overall stability of your software.

Testing and Quality Assurance

Catching runtime exceptions also involves thorough testing and quality assurance practices. Implementing robust unit tests, integration tests, and user acceptance tests can help identify potential issues early in the development cycle. By simulating various scenarios and error conditions, you can ensure that your code is resilient and capable of handling exceptions gracefully. Testing and quality assurance play a vital role in minimizing runtime exceptions and increasing the overall reliability of your software.

Conclusion

Catching runtime exceptions is an essential aspect of software development in an ICEM world. By implementing robust error handling, understanding the exception hierarchy, using multiple catch blocks, logging and error reporting, and investing in comprehensive testing and quality assurance practices, you can improve the stability and reliability of your software applications. Effective exception handling not only enhances user experiences but also contributes to the overall success of your software by reducing downtime, minimizing data loss, and increasing customer satisfaction. Embrace these strategies and elevate your software development process to catch runtime exceptions effectively in an ICEM world.