ExcEption Handling and

MultitHrEading

Understanding exception handling and multithreading is

crucial for developing robust applications. This unit covers the
fundamental concepts of exception handling and the
principles of multithreading, providing a comprehensive
overview for BCA students.
1. Exception Handling
Exception handling is a mechanism to manage errors that
occur during program execution. It allows programs to
respond to error conditions gracefully, without crashing.
a) Fundamentals of Exception Handling
An exception is an event that disrupts the normal flow of a
program's execution. It can be caused by various issues, such
as invalid input, resource unavailability, or logical errors.
Proper handling of exceptions is essential to maintain
program stability.
b) Exception Types
Exceptions are generally classified into two categories:
1. Checked Exceptions: These are exceptions that the
compiler forces the programmer to handle. They must
be either caught using a try-catch block or declared
using the throws keyword in the method signature.
Examples include IOException and SQLException.
2. Unchecked Exceptions: These exceptions are not
checked at compile time. The programmer is not
required to handle them, and they typically indicate
programming errors, such as NullPointerException and
ArithmeticException.
c) Uncaught Exceptions
An uncaught exception occurs when the program does not
handle an exception, resulting in abrupt termination. This can
lead to data loss and instability. To prevent uncaught
exceptions, developers should implement comprehensive
exception handling throughout the code.
d) Exception Handling Keywords
Key keywords in exception handling include:
• try: This block contains code that may throw an
exception. If an exception occurs, control is transferred
to the catch block.
• catch: This block handles the exception thrown by the
try block. You can have multiple catch blocks to handle
different exception types.
• finally: This block contains code that executes regardless
of whether an exception was thrown. It is commonly
used for cleanup activities, such as closing files or
releasing resources.
• throws: This keyword indicates that a method may
throw specific exceptions. It informs the caller that they
must handle or propagate the exception.
• throw: This keyword is used to explicitly throw an
exception from a method or a block of code.
e) Built-in Exceptions
Most programming languages offer a variety of built-in
exceptions that help developers handle common error
scenarios efficiently. Examples of built-in exceptions include:
• IOException: Occurs during input/output operations.
• NumberFormatException: Triggered when trying to
convert a string to a numeric type fails.
• ClassNotFoundException: Raised when the Java Virtual
Machine cannot find a specified class.
f) Creating Your Own Exception
Developers can define custom exceptions by extending the
existing Exception class. This is beneficial for creating
application-specific error conditions and providing
meaningful error messages. Custom exceptions enhance
clarity and maintainability in error handling.
2. Multithreading Fundamentals
Multithreading enables concurrent execution of multiple
threads, which allows programs to perform several tasks
simultaneously, enhancing performance and responsiveness.
a) Creating Threads
There are two primary approaches to creating threads:
1. Extending the Thread Class: A class can extend the
Thread class and override its run method, which
contains the code to be executed by the thread.
2. Implementing the Runnable Interface: A class can
implement the Runnable interface and define its run
method. This approach allows multiple threads to share
the same object and is often preferred for better design
flexibility.
b) Implementing and Extending Threads
Once a thread is created using either approach, it can be
started using the start() method. This method invokes the
run() method, which contains the logic that will be executed
in the new thread.
c) Thread Priorities
Thread priorities determine the relative importance of
threads when it comes to scheduling by the operating
system. Threads can be assigned different priorities ranging
from Thread.MIN_PRIORITY (1) to Thread.MAX_PRIORITY
(10), with Thread.NORM_PRIORITY (5) being the default.
Threads with higher priorities may be executed before those
with lower priorities.
d) Synchronization
Synchronization is a crucial concept to ensure that multiple
threads can access shared resources without causing data
inconsistency. It prevents issues like race conditions, where
the final output depends on the sequence of thread
execution.
• Synchronized Methods: A method can be declared
synchronized, ensuring that only one thread can execute
it at a time. This is particularly useful when a method
modifies shared resources.
• Synchronized Blocks: These provide a more granular
approach to synchronization. Instead of synchronizing an
entire method, only a specific block of code is
synchronized, which can improve performance.
e) Suspending, Resuming, and Stopping Threads
Managing the lifecycle of threads is essential in
multithreading:
• Suspending Threads: The suspend() method can pause a
thread temporarily. However, it is deprecated due to
potential deadlocks. Alternatives like wait() and notify()
are recommended for controlling thread execution flow.
• Resuming Threads: The resume() method can restart a
suspended thread. Like suspend(), it is deprecated.
Developers should use synchronization techniques to
resume threads based on conditions.
• Stopping Threads: The stop() method is also deprecated
due to the risk of leaving shared resources in an
inconsistent state. Instead, a safer approach is to use a
boolean flag that signals a thread to finish its execution
gracefully.