In exception handling, the catch
block is responsible for catching and handling specific exceptions that are thrown within a try block. When an exception occurs, the catch block allows you to specify the type of exception you want to handle and provides a code block to execute in response to that exception.
The role of the catch block can be summarized as follows:
Exception Handling: The catch block is designed to handle and respond to exceptions that occur within the corresponding try block. It allows you to gracefully recover from exceptional situations in your code.
Exception Type Matching: The catch block specifies the type of exception it can handle by including a parameter that matches the exception type. This parameter receives the thrown exception object if it matches the specified type.
Exception Handling Code: Within the catch block, you write the code that defines the actions to be taken when a particular exception is caught. It can include error logging, user notification, alternative logic, or any other appropriate response to the exception.
Multiple Catch Blocks: You can have multiple catch blocks after a try block, each handling a different type of exception. This allows you to handle different exceptions differently, providing specialized error handling for each case.
Catch Hierarchy: The catch blocks are evaluated in order, starting from the top, and the first catch block that matches the thrown exception type is executed. This allows you to define a hierarchy of catch blocks to handle different levels of exceptions, with more specific exceptions caught first.