Chapter 3.2: Advanced C# Concepts: Understanding Exceptions and Debugging

 Introduction:

In our previous article, Chapter 3.1, we explored LINQ and lambda expressions, which are powerful tools for simplifying data manipulation and making your code more expressive. In this article, we'll discuss exceptions and debugging, essential techniques for building robust and reliable applications. In the next chapter, we'll dive into generics and anonymous types, which are important concepts for creating flexible and reusable code.

Exceptions:

Exceptions are events that occur during the execution of a program when an error or an exceptional condition occurs. They can be caught and handled using try-catch-finally blocks. The try block contains the code that may throw an exception, the catch block contains the code to handle the exception, and the finally block contains code that will always be executed, regardless of whether an exception was thrown or not:

try
{
    int result = 10 / 0;
}
catch (DivideByZeroException ex)
{
    Console.WriteLine("Error: Division by zero.");
}
finally
{
    Console.WriteLine("This will always be executed.");
}

Creating Custom Exceptions:

You can create custom exceptions by inheriting from the Exception class or one of its derived classes:

public class NegativeNumberException : ApplicationException
{
    public NegativeNumberException(string message) : base(message)
    {
    }
}

// Throwing the custom exception
if (number < 0)
{
    throw new NegativeNumberException("Number cannot be negative.");
}

Debugging:

Debugging is the process of finding and fixing errors in your code. Visual Studio provides a powerful debugger that allows you to set breakpoints, step through your code, and inspect variables at runtime. To set a breakpoint, click on the left margin of the code editor or press F9. Then, press F5 to start debugging. The program will pause at the breakpoint, allowing you to step through the code using F10 (Step Over), F11 (Step Into), or Shift+F11 (Step Out). You can also hover over variables or use the Watch and Locals windows to inspect their values.

Conclusion:

In this article, we covered exceptions and debugging, two essential techniques for building robust and reliable applications in C#. Understanding how to handle exceptions and debug your code effectively will help you create more stable and maintainable software. In the next chapter, we'll discuss generics and anonymous types, which are important concepts for creating flexible and reusable code. Stay tuned for more advanced C# learning!