An exception is an event that occurs during the execution of a program that disrupts the normal flow of instructions during the execution of a program. Exceptions are objects that represent errors that may occur in a Java program. An exception is a condition that is caused by a run-time error in the program.

Exception Handling

The purpose of the exception handling mechanism is to provide a means to detect and report an "exceptional circumstance" to take appropriate action. The mechanism that suggests incorporation of a separate error handling code that performs the following tasks:

• Find the problem ( Hit the exception)
• Inform that an error has occurred ( Throw the exception )
• Receive the error information ( Catch the exception )
• Take corrective actions ( Handle the exception )

syntax:

..........
..........
try
{
 statement;  // generates an exception
}
catch (Exception-type e)
{
 statement; // processes the exception
}
..........
..........

Example:

class ExeceptionExample {
 public static void main(String args[]) {
   int a = 10;
   int b = 5;
   int c = 5;
   int x, y;
   try {
     x = a / (b - c); // generates an exception
   } catch (ArithmeticException e) {
     System.out.println("Division by zero"); // processes the exception
   }
   y = a / (b + c);
   System.out.println("y = " + y;
   }
 }
/*OUTPUT:
Division by zero
y = 1   */