/ Error Handling Omitted /

Roger Orr

⏱ 90 minute session

beginner

intermediate

11:00-12:30, Thursday, 3rd April 2025

A large number of articles and books on programming provide sample code, which all too often is either totally silent about errors or contains a comment such as / error handling omitted for brevity /. While this may be fine for simple examples, it doesn't work so well for actual real-world programs where all sorts of things can go wrong and the program is expected to cope.

In this presentation I'll look at some techniques for handling errors and we'll look at their strength and weaknesses and also some pointers on how to combine different error handling techniques.

Should error handling be local or non-local? How do you test error handling? Can you reduce the likelihood, and impact, of errors?

While many of the examples will use C++ code many of the design principles are applicable more widely.

🏷 error handling

🏷 exceptions

🏷 logging

🏷 debugging

🏷 testing

🏷 C++

Roger Orr

Roger has many years of experience in IT, using a variety of languages and platforms, working for a number of different companies over the years, mostly in the financial sector. His recent work has mostly been in C++, on both Windows and Linux.

Roger is an active member of ACCU (accu.org), and responsible for the publications, and is also one of the organisers of the ACCU conference. He also writes a regular Code Critique column in the magazine.

He is chair of the UK C++ panel and a member of the C++ ISO standards group WG21 where he is chair of SG23 ("Safety and Security") and a member of the 'Direction Group' which recommends priorities for the ISO C++ standardisation committee.