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.NET Forum / .NET Framework / General / August 2005Why does try/catch require {}
how come I can say: if() statement; else statement; but I cannot say try statment; catch() statement; I always have to use {} Because it is less often that a try or a catch would have only 1 statement in it. Typically, it will have many statements in it (especially the Try). Whereas with 'if' statement, having only one statement you want to execute is very common. The actual reason is probably not having to do extra work with building it in to the compiler. They would have spent extra time on something that wasn't going to be used often. Is it really a big deal to put the {} in there? > how come I can say: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > I always have to use {} > how come I can say: > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > I always have to use {} I've wondered about that, too. Seems like a fairly large inconsistency, and one that grates every time I write a one statement catch or finally block. Just makes the code take more screen space. Laziness seems the most likely answer. My best guess is that somehow it's significantly easier to create the try table (in the metadata) and to emit the special leave instructions when you have the { and } tokens as a trigger than if you have to do this for a simple statement. But I suppose it's also possible that 'try statement catch exception-block' creates some parser ambiguities that 'try compound-statement catch exception-block' does not. I haven't actually looked at a formal grammar for C# ....  Signaturewww.midnightbeach.com I believe that it is best-practice to use {} for any code block regardless of its length. We have made that part of our coding standards here. If you are just coding for yourself, that is a different situation, do it however you like, but when several people are working in the same code then requiring each if(), for(), while(), foreach(), et al use the formatting of: if (expression) { // do this } ... ends up making it easier for everyone involved. As for the technical side of why they require {} for try/catch, well - not a clue here. I just know that I would hate to see: try System.Data.DataRow = dataTable.Rows[0]; catch(System.Data.DataException ex) HandleError(ex); finally dataTable.Dispose(); > I believe that it is best-practice to use {} for any code block > regardless of its length. I know that a lot of people agree with you. Obviously, I don't. I think that turning one line into three just adds bulk and cuts clarity. I don't buy the "argument from maintainability" - it's not at all hard to add the {} as needed and, in the VS environment (ie, with a nice auto-formatter) it's all but impossible to misread if (tst) statement1; statement2; > We have made that part of our coding standards here. How ... special. Does that have anything to do with try/catch syntax? Signaturewww.midnightbeach.com /me bears wood to the stake and looks for matches ;) SignatureHelge Jensen mailto:helge.jensen@slog.dk sip:helge.jensen@slog.dk -=> Sebastian cover-music: http://ungdomshus.nu <=- > We have made that part of our coding standards here. How ... special. Does that have anything to do with try/catch syntax? --- Not directly - no, except that in our case where it's required to use {} for all code blocks, questions such as the original "Why does try/catch require {}" do not exist. --- I don't buy the "argument from maintainability" - it's not at all hard to add the {} as needed and, in the VS environment (ie, with a nice auto-formatter) it's all but impossible to misread if (tst) statement1; statement2; --- Buy the argument or not, but when you have to go through 10,000 lines of code littered with evaluation/flow-control statements that do not use {} and find that you need to add more instructions to those blocks, you will be pounding your head wishing it had been done in the first place. I agree, VS does a nice job at formatting, but as general practice (language/environment/etc non-specific) you cannot write code, as a team-member, that relies on the IDE you prefer to use. It's not just a matter of readability, or maintainability - it's a matter of propper programming practices in a multi-author environment. I'm not telling anyone they HAVE to do it a certain way - I was simply stating my opinion on how to make the argument moot. Create standards to be adhered to, one of which was the requirement of {} for all code-blocks regardless of how many lines it might be at the time. because the Java try/catch requires braces and C# copied it. This does not explain why the Java try/catch requires braces, though. Bruno Free MagazinesGet these publications absolutely FREE for up to 12 months. There are no hidden fees and no obligation. Simply choose a title, complete the application form and submit it. Read more ...
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