Multiple catch blocks of the appropriate type should be used instead of catching a general exception, and then testing on the type.
Noncompliant Code Example
try {
/* ... */
} catch (Exception e) {
if(e instanceof IOException) { /* ... */ } // Noncompliant
if(e instanceof NullPointerException{ /* ... */ } // Noncompliant
}
Compliant Solution
try {
/* ... */
} catch (IOException e) { /* ... */ } // Compliant
} catch (NullPointerException e) { /* ... */ } // Compliant
See
- CERT,
ERR51-J. - Prefer user-defined exceptions over more general exception types
