PHP 5 has an exception model similar to that of other programming languages. An exception can be thrown, and caught ("catched") within PHP. Code may be surrounded in a try block, to facilitate the catching of potential exceptions. Each try must have at least one corresponding catch or finally block.
The thrown object must be an instance of the Exception class or a subclass of Exception. Trying to throw an object that is not will result in a PHP Fatal Error.
Multiple catch blocks can be used to catch different classes of exceptions. Normal execution (when no exception is thrown within the try block) will continue after that last catch block defined in sequence. Exceptions can be thrown (or re-thrown) within a catch block.
When an exception is thrown, code following the statement will not be executed, and PHP will attempt to find the first matching catch block. If an exception is not caught, a PHP Fatal Error will be issued with an "Uncaught Exception ..." message, unless a handler has been defined with set_exception_handler().
In PHP 5.5 and later, a finally block may also be specified after or instead of catch blocks. Code within the finally block will always be executed after the try and catch blocks, regardless of whether an exception has been thrown, and before normal execution resumes.
Note:
Internal PHP functions mainly use Error reporting, only modern Object oriented extensions use exceptions. However, errors can be simply translated to exceptions with ErrorException.
The Standard PHP Library (SPL) provides a good number of built-in exceptions.
Example #3 Throwing an Exception
<?php
function inverse($x) {
if (!$x) {
throw new Exception('Division by zero.');
}
return 1/$x;
}
try {
echo inverse(5) . "\n";
echo inverse(0) . "\n";
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo 'Caught exception: ', $e->getMessage(), "\n";
}
// Continue execution
echo "Hello World\n";
?>
The above example will output:
0.2 Caught exception: Division by zero. Hello World
Example #4 Exception handling with a finally block
<?php
function inverse($x) {
if (!$x) {
throw new Exception('Division by zero.');
}
return 1/$x;
}
try {
echo inverse(5) . "\n";
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo 'Caught exception: ', $e->getMessage(), "\n";
} finally {
echo "First finally.\n";
}
try {
echo inverse(0) . "\n";
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo 'Caught exception: ', $e->getMessage(), "\n";
} finally {
echo "Second finally.\n";
}
// Continue execution
echo "Hello World\n";
?>
The above example will output:
0.2 First finally. Caught exception: Division by zero. Second finally. Hello World
Example #5 Nested Exception
<?php
class MyException extends Exception { }
class Test {
public function testing() {
try {
try {
throw new MyException('foo!');
} catch (MyException $e) {
// rethrow it
throw $e;
}
} catch (Exception $e) {
var_dump($e->getMessage());
}
}
}
$foo = new Test;
$foo->testing();
?>
The above example will output:
string(4) "foo!"
When catching an exception inside a namespace it is important that you escape to the global space:
<?php
namespace SomeNamespace;
class SomeClass {
function SomeFunction() {
try {
throw new Exception('Some Error Message');
} catch (\Exception $e) {
var_dump($e->getMessage());
}
}
}
?>
Custom error handling on entire pages can avoid half rendered pages for the users:
<?php
ob_start();
try {
/*contains all page logic
and throws error if needed*/
...
} catch (Exception $e) {
ob_end_clean();
displayErrorPage($e->getMessage());
}
?>
If you intend on creating a lot of custom exceptions, you may find this code useful. I've created an interface and an abstract exception class that ensures that all parts of the built-in Exception class are preserved in child classes. It also properly pushes all information back to the parent constructor ensuring that nothing is lost. This allows you to quickly create new exceptions on the fly. It also overrides the default __toString method with a more thorough one.
<?php
interface IException
{
/* Protected methods inherited from Exception class */
public function getMessage(); // Exception message
public function getCode(); // User-defined Exception code
public function getFile(); // Source filename
public function getLine(); // Source line
public function getTrace(); // An array of the backtrace()
public function getTraceAsString(); // Formated string of trace
/* Overrideable methods inherited from Exception class */
public function __toString(); // formated string for display
public function __construct($message = null, $code = 0);
}
abstract class CustomException extends Exception implements IException
{
protected $message = 'Unknown exception'; // Exception message
private $string; // Unknown
protected $code = 0; // User-defined exception code
protected $file; // Source filename of exception
protected $line; // Source line of exception
private $trace; // Unknown
public function __construct($message = null, $code = 0)
{
if (!$message) {
throw new $this('Unknown '. get_class($this));
}
parent::__construct($message, $code);
}
public function __toString()
{
return get_class($this) . " '{$this->message}' in {$this->file}({$this->line})\n"
. "{$this->getTraceAsString()}";
}
}
?>
Now you can create new exceptions in one line:
<?php
class TestException extends CustomException {}
?>
Here's a test that shows that all information is properly preserved throughout the backtrace.
<?php
function exceptionTest()
{
try {
throw new TestException();
}
catch (TestException $e) {
echo "Caught TestException ('{$e->getMessage()}')\n{$e}\n";
}
catch (Exception $e) {
echo "Caught Exception ('{$e->getMessage()}')\n{$e}\n";
}
}
echo '<pre>' . exceptionTest() . '</pre>';
?>
Here's a sample output:
Caught TestException ('Unknown TestException')
TestException 'Unknown TestException' in C:\xampp\htdocs\CustomException\CustomException.php(31)
#0 C:\xampp\htdocs\CustomException\ExceptionTest.php(19): CustomException->__construct()
#1 C:\xampp\htdocs\CustomException\ExceptionTest.php(43): exceptionTest()
#2 {main}
Type declarations will trigger Uncaught TypeError when a different type is passed. And it cannot be caught with the Exception class.
<?php
function xc(array $a){
}
try{
xc(4);
}catch (Exception $e){ // failed to catch it
echo $e->getMessage();
}
?>
You should use TypeError instead for PHP 7+,
<?php
function xc(array $a){
}
try{
xc(4);
}catch (TypeError $e){
echo $e->getMessage();
}
?>
In php version prior to 7.0, you should translate Catchable fatal errors to an exception and then catch it.
<?php
function exceptionErrorHandler($errNumber, $errStr, $errFile, $errLine ) {
throw new ErrorException($errStr, 0, $errNumber, $errFile, $errLine);
}
set_error_handler('exceptionErrorHandler');
function s(array $a){
}
try{
s(4);
}catch (Exception $e){
echo $e->getMessage();
}
?>
Using a return statement inside a finally block will override any other return statement or thrown exception from the try block and all defined catch blocks. Code execution in the parent stack will continue as if the exception was never thrown.
Frankly this is a good design decision because it means I can optionally dismiss all thrown exceptions from 1 or more catch blocks in one place, without having to nest my whole try block inside an additional (and otherwise needless) try/catch block.
This is the same behavior as Java, whereas C# throws a compile time error when a return statement exists inside a finally block. So I figured it was worth pointing out to PHP devs who may not have any exposure to finally blocks or how other languages do it.
<?php
function asdf()
{
try {
throw new Exception('error');
}
catch(Exception $e) {
echo "An error occurred";
throw $e;
}
finally {
//This overrides the exception as if it were never thrown
return "\nException erased";
}
}
try {
echo asdf();
}
catch(Exception $e) {
echo "\nResult: " . $e->getMessage();
}
?>
The output from above will look like this:
An error occurred
Exception erased
Without the return statement in the finally block it would look like this:
An error occurred
Result: error
catch doesn't check for the existence of the Exception class, so avoid typo.
<?php
class MyException extends Exception
{
...
}
try
{
throw new MyException(...);
}
catch (MuException $e) // <--- typo
{
...
}
?>
You WON'T get
Fatal error: Class MuException could not be loaded ...
You WILL get
Fatal error: Uncaught exception 'MyException' ...
#3 is not a good example. inverse("0a") would not be caught since (bool) "0a" returns true, yet 1/"0a" casts the string to integer zero and attempts to perform the calculation.
If you are using a namespace, you must indicate the global namespace when using Exceptions.
<?php
namespace alpha;
function foo(){
throw new \Exception("Something is wrong!");
// throw new Exception(""); will fail
}
try {
foo();
} catch( \Exception $e ) {
// catch( Exception $e ) will give no warning, but will not catch Exception
echo "ERROR: $e";
}
?>
Sometimes you want a single catch() to catch multiple types of Exception. In a language like Python, you can specify multiple types in a catch(), but in PHP you can only specify one. This can be annoying when you want handle many different Exceptions with the same catch() block.
However, you can replicate the functionality somewhat, because catch(<classname> $var) will match the given <classname> *or any of it's sub-classes*.
For example:
<?php
class DisplayException extends Exception {};
class FileException extends Exception {};
class AccessControl extends FileException {}; // Sub-class of FileException
class IOError extends FileException {}; // Sub-class of FileException
try {
if(!is_readable($somefile))
throw new IOError("File is not readable!");
if(!user_has_access_to_file($someuser, $somefile))
throw new AccessControl("Permission denied!");
if(!display_file($somefile))
throw new DisplayException("Couldn't display file!");
} catch (FileException $e) {
// This block will catch FileException, AccessControl or IOError exceptions, but not Exceptions or DisplayExceptions.
echo "File error: ".$e->getMessage();
exit(1);
}
?>
Corollary: If you want to catch *any* exception, no matter what the type, just use "catch(Exception $var)", because all exceptions are sub-classes of the built-in Exception.
‘Normal execution (when no exception is thrown within the try block, *or when a catch matching the thrown exception’s class is not present*) will continue after that last catch block defined in sequence.’
‘If an exception is not caught, a PHP Fatal Error will be issued with an “Uncaught Exception …” message, unless a handler has been defined with set_exception_handler().’
These two sentences seem a bit contradicting about what happens ‘when a catch matching the thrown exception’s class is not present’ (and the second sentence is actually correct).
The "finally" block can change the exception that has been throw by the catch block.
<?php
try{
try {
throw new \Exception("Hello");
} catch(\Exception $e) {
echo $e->getMessage()." catch in\n";
throw $e;
} finally {
echo $e->getMessage()." finally \n";
throw new \Exception("Bye");
}
} catch (\Exception $e) {
echo $e->getMessage()." catch out\n";
}
?>
The output is:
Hello catch in
Hello finally
Bye catch out
Just an example why finally blocks are usefull (5.5)
<?php
//without catch
function example() {
try {
//do something that throws an exeption
}
finally {
//this code will be executed even when the exception is executed
}
}
function example2() {
try {
//open sql connection check user as example
if(condition) {
return false;
}
}
finally {
//close the sql connection, this will be executed even if the return is called.
}
}
?>
Actually it isn't possible to do:
<?php
someFunction() OR throw new Exception();
?>
This leads to a T_THROW Syntax Error. If you want to use this kind of exceptions, you can do the following:
<?php
function throwException($message = null,$code = null) {
throw new Exception($message,$code);
}
someFunction() OR throwException();
?>
When using finally keep in mind that when a exit/die statement is used in the catch block it will NOT go through the finally block.
<?php
try {
echo "try block<br />";
throw new Exception("test");
} catch (Exception $ex) {
echo "catch block<br />";
} finally {
echo "finally block<br />";
}
// try block
// catch block
// finally block
?>
<?php
try {
echo "try block<br />";
throw new Exception("test");
} catch (Exception $ex) {
echo "catch block<br />";
exit(1);
} finally {
echo "finally block<br />";
}
// try block
// catch block
?>
There's some inconsistent behaviour associated with PHP 5.5.3's finally and return statements. If a method returns a variable in a try block (e.g. return $foo;), and finally modifies that variable, the /modified/ value is returned. However, if the try block has a return that has to be evaluated in-line (e.g. return $foo+0;), finally's changes to $foo will /not/ affect the return value.
[code]
function returnVariable(){
$foo = 1;
try{
return $foo;
} finally {
$foo++;
}
}
function returnVariablePlusZero(){
$foo = 1;
try{
return $foo + 0;
} finally {
$foo++;
}
}
$test1 = returnVariable(); // returns 2, not the correct value of 1.
$test2 = returnVariablePlusZero(); // returns correct value of 1, but inconsistent with $test1.
[/code]
It looks like it's trying to be efficient by not allocating additional memory for the return value when it thinks it doesn't have to, but the spec is that finally is run after try is completed execution, and that includes the evaluation of the return expression.
One could argue (weakly) that the first method should be the correct result, but at least the two methods should be consistent.
Just an example why finally blocks are usefull (5.5)
<?php
//without catch
function example() {
try {
//do something that throws an exeption
}
finally {
//this code will be executed even when the exception is executed
}
}
function example2() {
try {
//open sql connection check user as example
if(condition) {
return false;
}
}
finally {
//close the sql connection, this will be executed even if the return is called.
}
}
<?php
function Test_Extention($var1)
{
if($var1 == false)
{
throw new Exception('Invalid !');
}
}//end function
try
{
Test_Extention(false);
printf("%s","Valid");
}
catch(Exception $e)
{
printf("%s","Message : " . $e->getMessage());
}
?>
Remember that Exceptions are also objects and can be handled as such; they can be constructed in and returned as values from functions, passed as arguments to other functions, and examined before being thrown. You don't have to throw it as soon as you have constructed it (the stack trace will of course reflect the moment the Exception was constructed, not the moment it was thrown).
You might, for example, want to collect additional information to include in YourException but you don't want to clutter up the YourException class or the code containing the "throw" statement by collecting the information there. Or you might want to do something (such as logging) with each Exception that is thrown from a certain region (catch it, pass it to the logging function, then rethrow it).
This code will turn php errors into exceptions:
<?php
function exceptions_error_handler($severity, $message, $filename, $lineno) {
throw new ErrorException($message, 0, $severity, $filename, $lineno);
}
set_error_handler('exceptions_error_handler');
?>
However since <?php set_error_handler()?> doesn't work with fatal errors, you will not be able to throw them as Exceptions.
the following is an example of a re-thrown exception and the using of getPrevious function:
<?php
$name = "Name";
//check if the name contains only letters, and does not contain the word name
try
{
try
{
if (preg_match('/[^a-z]/i', $name))
{
throw new Exception("$name contains character other than a-z A-Z");
}
if(strpos(strtolower($name), 'name') !== FALSE)
{
throw new Exception("$name contains the word name");
}
echo "The Name is valid";
}
catch(Exception $e)
{
throw new Exception("insert name again",0,$e);
}
}
catch (Exception $e)
{
if ($e->getPrevious())
{
echo "The Previous Exception is: ".$e->getPrevious()->getMessage()."<br/>";
}
echo "The Exception is: ".$e->getMessage()."<br/>";
}
?>
Just to be more precise in what Frank found:
Catch the exceptions always in order from the bottom to the top of the Exception and subclasses class hierarchy. If you have class MyException extending Exception and class My2Exception extending MyException always catch My2Exception before MyException.
Hope this helps
Further to dexen at google dot me dot up with "use destructors to perform a cleanup in case of exception". The fact that PHP5 has destructors, exception handling, and predictable garbage collection (if there's a single reference in scope and the scope is left then the destructor is called immediately) allows for the use of the RAII idiom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_Acquisition_Is_Initialization and my own http://www.hackcraft.net/RAII/ describe this.
If you use the set_error_handler() to throw exceptions of errors, you may encounter issues with __autoload() functionality saying that your class doesn't exist and that's it.
If you do this:
<?php
class MyException extends Exception
{
}
class Tester
{
public function foobar()
{
try
{
$this->helloWorld();
} catch (MyException $e) {
throw new Exception('Problem in foobar',0,$e);
}
}
protected function helloWorld()
{
throw new MyException('Problem in helloWorld()');
}
}
$tester = new Tester;
try
{
$tester->foobar();
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo $e->getTraceAsString();
}
?>
The trace will only show $tester->foobar() and not the call made to $tester->helloWorld().
In other words, if you pass a previous exception to a new one, the previous exception's stack trace is taken into account in the new exception.
Contrary to the documentation it is possible in PHP 5.5 and higher use only try-finally blocks without any catch block.
@serenity: of course you need to throw exception within the try block, catch will not watch fatal errors, nor less important errors but only exceptions that are instanceof the exception type you're giving. Of course by within the try block, i mean within every functions call happening in try block.
For example, to nicely handle old mysql errors, you can do something like this:
<?php
try
{
$connection = mysql_connect(...);
if ($connection === false)
{
throw new Exception('Cannot connect do mysql');
}
/* ... do whatever you need with database, that may mail and throw exceptions too ... */
mysql_close($connection);
}
catch (Exception $e)
{
/* ... add logging stuff there if you need ... */
echo "This page cannot be displayed";
}
?>
By doing so, you're aiming at the don't repeat yourself (D.R.Y) concept, by managing error handling at only one place for the whole.
