Java For Dummies Quick Reference

Exception Class

Java provides a catch-all exception class called Exception from which all other types of exceptions are derived. This class contains the following methods that are useful when handling exceptions.

Method	Description
String getMessage()	Describes the error in a text message.
void printStackTrace()	Prints the stack trace to the standard error stream.
String toString()	Returns a description of the exception. This description includes the name of the exception class followed by a colon and the getMessage message.

Here’s a snippet of code that catches all exceptions and displays the exception’s description on the console:

try

{

// statements that might throw

// an exception

}

catch (Exception e)

{

System.out.println(e.getMessage());

}