When it comes to developing applications, we as software developers always (almost always at least!) stive to make our code as robust and clean as possible. By robust I mean error conditions are handled gracefully and clean meaning that whatever resources we have opened up are closed appropriately. But let’s face it, there will be times when mistakes are made or the unexpected happens. Fortunately, Java provides some great tools that allow for handling just such situations – shutdown hooks and uncaught exception handlers.
Shutdown Hooks
Runtime.getRuntime().addShutdownHook(new Thread(new Runnable() { @Override public void run() { doSomeCleanup(); } })); Now when a program exits, the code specified in your shutdown hook will run, giving you one last chance to ensure things are left in a consistent state. There are some caveats with shutdown hooks:
- Don’t assume other services will be available, code defensively
- Make every attempt to make sure the code executes quickly
- Make sure the code is written to avoid deadlocks
Ideally, shutdown hooks are to ensure that resources are cleaned up properly and not a replacement for good coding practices.
Uncaught Exception Handlers
The Thread.UncaughtExceptionHandler represents a chance to do what the name of the interface implies, handle any uncaught exceptions. As with the shutdown hook, the UncaughtExceptionHandler should not be used as an excuse to get away from good coding practices. Rather, the uncaught exception handler is the last line of defense against the truly unexpected exceptions. Setting an UncaughtExceptionHander is equally as easy:
Thread.setDefaultUncaughtExceptionHandler(new Thread.UncaughtExceptionHandler(){ @Override public void uncaughtException(Thread thread, Throwable throwable) { handleTheUnexpectedError(); } }); Now with just four lines of code, you have given your program the ability to handle unexpected errors gracefully.
I hope the reader found these tips useful and have a great Christmas!
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