---
title: "What is the \"terminate\" function in C++, and how to customize its behavior?"  
description: "What is the \"terminate\" function in C++, and how to customize its behavior?"  
author: "Sandra Emily"  
published: 2023-08-16  
updated: 2023-08-17  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/159542/what-is-the-terminate-function-in-c-plus-plus-and-how-to-customize-its-behavior  
category: "visual c++"  
tags: ["c++", "functions"]  
reading_time: 2 minutes  

---

# What is the "terminate" function in C++, and how to customize its behavior?

What is the "terminate" [function](https://www.mindstick.com/articles/13001/multi-statement-table-valued-user-defined-function-in-sql-server) in [C++](https://www.mindstick.com/blog/745/array-in-c-plus-plus), and how to customize its [behavior](https://www.mindstick.com/forum/159354/runtimeexception-and-exception-behavior)?

## Replies

### Reply by Aryan Kumar

The `terminate()` function in C++ is called by the C++ runtime when the program cannot continue for any of the following reasons:

- An exception is thrown and not caught.
- A destructor throws an exception and that exception is not caught.
- The constructor or destructor of a nonlocal static object throws an exception and that exception is not caught.
- A function registered with `atexit()` throws an exception and that exception is not caught.

The `terminate()` function does not return. It simply calls the function pointed to by the `terminate_handler` variable. By default, the `terminate_handler` variable points to the `abort()` function, which exits the program.

To customize the behavior of the `terminate()` function, you can set the `terminate_handler` variable to a different function. The function that you set should take no arguments and return no value.

Here is an example of how to customize the behavior of the `terminate()` function:

C++

```plaintext
#include <iostream>
#include <exception>

using namespace std;

void my_terminate_handler() {
  cout << "The program has terminated due to an unrecoverable error." << endl;
  exit(1);
}

int main() {
  set_terminate(my_terminate_handler);

  // This will cause the program to terminate and print a message
  throw std::runtime_error("An unrecoverable error has occurred.");

  return 0;
}
```

In this example, we have set the `terminate_handler` variable to the `my_terminate_handler()` function. The `my_terminate_handler()` function simply prints a message and then exits the program.

It is important to note that the `terminate()` function should only be used as a last resort. It should be used when the program cannot continue in any way. If you use the `terminate()` function too often, it can make your program difficult to debug.


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/159542/what-is-the-terminate-function-in-c-plus-plus-and-how-to-customize-its-behavior

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