Chapter 11: Problem 18

If a method has a throw statement, does it always have to have a throws clause in its header? Why or why not?

Short Answer

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Answer: No, it is not necessary for a method with a throw statement to always have a "throws" clause in its method header. This depends on whether the exception being thrown is checked or unchecked. For checked exceptions, the method must have a throws clause if the exception is not handled within the method, while for unchecked exceptions, a throws clause is not required.

Step by step solution

Understanding throw statement and throws clause

A throw statement is used to explicitly throw an exception, usually inside a method for handling an error. A throws clause, on the other hand, is used to indicate that a particular method might throw a specific exception, and it is used in the method header. When a method is declared with a throws clause, it becomes the caller's responsibility to handle the specified exception.

Case 1: Checked Exceptions

For checked exceptions, if a method throws an exception using a throw statement and does not handle that exception within the method itself, it must have a throws clause in its header. Checked exceptions are the exceptions that occur at compile-time and are required to be handled or declared using a throws clause. Examples of checked exceptions are IOException, ClassNotFoundException, etc.

Case 2: Unchecked Exceptions

For unchecked exceptions, a method with a throw statement does not need to have a throws clause in its header. Unchecked exceptions are the exceptions that occur at runtime and are not required to be explicitly handled or declared using a throws clause. Examples of unchecked exceptions are NullPointerException, ArrayIndexOutOfBoundsException, etc.

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If a method has a throw statement, does it always have to have a throws clause in its header? Why or why not?

Short Answer

Step by step solution

Understanding throw statement and throws clause

Case 1: Checked Exceptions

Case 2: Unchecked Exceptions

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