Programming with C++ Exceptions

When introduced to the language, exception handling added a whole new dimension of programming techniques to C++. Despite of its indisputable advantages, it is still rarely used. This is because exception handling can be quite harmful when used in programs that are not prepared to cope with exceptions. In ANSI C++, we cannot ignore exceptions any longer because certain language constructs, such as new expressions or dynamic-cast as well as the standard library, already raise exceptions. In this lecture we explore exception safety, i.e. what we can and have to do in order to make our programs behave nicely even in presence of exceptions. Another aspect of interest is exception safety in conjunction with template libraries such as the STL. We will see which safety guarantees the STL gives and what it requires of its users. To round up our knowledge of C++ exceptions handling we eventually take a look at some of the less widely known language features such as uncaught exceptions, terminate handlers, and exception specifications.