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Handling multiple exceptions

Ravi Vishwakarma 69 24-Apr-2025

java

Updated on 24-Apr-2025

Ravi Vishwakarma

Ravi Vishwakarma is a dedicated Software Developer with a passion for crafting efficient and innovative solutions. With a keen eye for detail and years of experience, he excels in developing robust software systems that meet client needs. His expertise spans across multiple programming languages and technologies, making him a valuable asset in any software development project.

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Ravi Vishwakarma

24-Apr-2025

Handling multiple exceptions in Java is common when a block of code might throw more than one type of exception. You can handle them using multiple catch blocks or a multi-catch block.

1. Multiple `catch` Blocks

You can write one catch block for each exception type.

Example:

public class MultipleCatchExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            int[] arr = new int[3];
            arr[5] = 100; // ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException

            int result = 10 / 0; // ArithmeticException
        }
        catch (ArithmeticException e) {
            System.out.println("ArithmeticException caught: " + e.getMessage());
        }
        catch (ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException e) {
            System.out.println("ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException caught: " + e.getMessage());
        }
        catch (Exception e) {
            System.out.println("General exception caught: " + e.getMessage());
        }
    }
}

Notes:

Order matters! Catch more specific exceptions before general ones (Exception).
If you reverse the order (put Exception first), the compiler will throw an error.

2. Multi-Catch Block (Java 7+)

You can catch multiple exceptions in a single catch using | (pipe symbol).

Example:

public class MultiCatchExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            String s = null;
            System.out.println(s.length()); // NullPointerException

            int x = 10 / 0; // ArithmeticException
        }
        catch (NullPointerException | ArithmeticException e) {
            System.out.println("Caught an exception: " + e.getClass().getSimpleName());
        }
    }
}

Multi-catch rules:

The exception types must not have a parent-child relationship (e.g., IOException | Exception is invalid).
Inside a multi-catch block, the exception variable (e) is effectively final – you can’t reassign it.

Summary Table:

Approach	Use When
Multiple `catch` blocks	Need different handling logic for each exception
Multi-catch (`	`)

Let me know if you want to see this with custom exceptions too!

interview

Handling multiple exceptions

Ravi Vishwakarma

Can you answer this question?

1 Answers

1. Multiple catch Blocks

Notes:

2. Multi-Catch Block (Java 7+)

Multi-catch rules:

Summary Table:

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1. Multiple `catch` Blocks