Throwing exceptions in PHP - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is an exception in PHP?

An exception is an object that represents an error or unexpected behavior during program execution. It can be "thrown" to signal a problem and "caught" to handle it gracefully.

beginner

How do you throw an exception in PHP?

Use the throw keyword followed by a new Exception object, like this: throw new Exception('Error message');

beginner

What is the purpose of a try-catch block?

A try block contains code that might throw an exception. The catch block handles the exception if one is thrown, preventing the program from crashing.

intermediate

What happens if an exception is thrown but not caught?

If an exception is thrown and not caught, PHP stops the program and shows a fatal error message. This is like the program saying, "I don't know how to handle this problem."

intermediate

Can you throw custom exceptions in PHP?

Yes! You can create your own exception classes by extending the built-in Exception class. This helps you handle specific error types more clearly.

Which keyword is used to throw an exception in PHP?

A error

B catch

C try

D throw

The throw keyword is used to throw an exception.

What does a catch block do?

A Handles an exception

B Throws an exception

C Starts the program

D Ends the program

A catch block handles exceptions thrown inside the try block.

What happens if an exception is not caught?

A Program continues normally

B PHP shows a warning but continues

C PHP stops with a fatal error

D Exception is ignored

If an exception is not caught, PHP stops execution and shows a fatal error.

How do you create a custom exception class?

A By writing a try block

B By extending the Exception class

C By using the throw keyword

D By calling the catch block

Custom exceptions are created by extending the built-in Exception class.

Which of these is the correct way to throw an exception with message 'Error'?

A throw new Exception('Error');

B throw Exception('Error');

C catch new Exception('Error');

D try new Exception('Error');

The correct syntax is throw new Exception('Error');

Explain how throwing and catching exceptions works in PHP.

Think about how you signal a problem and then handle it.

Describe why you might want to create a custom exception class.

Consider how different problems might need different responses.

Practice

1. What does the throw statement do in PHP?

easy

A. It catches an exception to handle an error.

B. It creates and signals an exception to indicate an error.

C. It defines a new function for error handling.

D. It stops the script without any error message.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of throw

   The throw statement is used to create and signal an exception when an error occurs.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other error handling keywords

   catch handles exceptions, but throw actually creates and signals them.

3. Final Answer:

   It creates and signals an exception to indicate an error. -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   throw = signal error [OK]

Hint: Remember: throw = create error, catch = handle error [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing throw with catch
• Thinking throw stops script silently
• Assuming throw defines functions

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to throw an exception with the message "Error occurred" in PHP?

easy

A. throw new Exception("Error occurred");

B. throw Exception("Error occurred");

C. throw Exception new("Error occurred");

D. throw new Exception(Error occurred);

Solution

1. Step 1: Recall the syntax for throwing exceptions

   In PHP, you must use throw new Exception("message") to throw an exception with a message.

2. Step 2: Check each option for syntax correctness

   Only throw new Exception("Error occurred"); matches the correct syntax exactly. The other options either omit the new keyword, have the wrong order of keywords, or lack quotes around the message.

3. Final Answer:

   throw new Exception("Error occurred"); -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Correct syntax = throw new Exception(message) [OK]

Hint: Use 'throw new Exception("message")' exactly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting the 'new' keyword
• Not quoting the message string
• Wrong order of keywords

3. What will be the output of the following PHP code?

try {
    throw new Exception("Oops!");
    echo "No error";
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo $e->getMessage();
}

medium

A. No error

B. Fatal error

C. Exception thrown but no output

D. Oops!

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the try block

   The code throws an exception with message "Oops!" before the echo statement, so "No error" is never printed.

2. Step 2: Understand the catch block behavior

   The catch block catches the exception and echoes the message from the exception, which is "Oops!".

3. Final Answer:

   Oops! -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Exception message printed = Oops! [OK]

Hint: Exception stops try block; catch prints message [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting code after throw to run
• Thinking no output appears
• Confusing exception message with error

4. Identify the error in this PHP code snippet:

try {
    throw new Exception("Error!");
} catch (Exception $e) {
    echo $e->message();
}

medium

A. Exception class is not imported.

B. Missing semicolon after throw statement.

C. Method message() does not exist; should use getMessage().

D. Catch block syntax is incorrect.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the catch block method call

   The Exception class has a method getMessage() to get the error message, not message().

2. Step 2: Verify other syntax elements

   The semicolon after throw is present, Exception class is built-in, and catch syntax is correct.

3. Final Answer:

   Method message() does not exist; should use getMessage(). -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Use getMessage() to get exception text [OK]

Hint: Use getMessage() method to read exception message [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Calling non-existent message() method
• Missing semicolons (not in this case)
• Incorrect catch syntax

5. You want to throw an exception only if a variable $age is less than 18. Which code correctly does this and catches the exception to print its message "Too young"?

hard

A. try {
if ($age < 18) {
throw new Exception("Too young");
}
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo $e->getMessage();
}

B. try {
if ($age < 18) {
throw new Exception("Too young");
}
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo "Too young";
}

C. try {
if ($age < 18) {
throw Exception("Too young");
}
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo $e->getMessage();
}

D. if ($age < 18) {
throw new Exception("Too young");
} catch (Exception $e) {
echo $e->getMessage();
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify correct try-catch structure

   The exception must be thrown inside a try block to be caught properly. try { if ($age < 18) { throw new Exception("Too young"); } } catch (Exception $e) { echo $e->getMessage(); } correctly wraps the throw inside try.

2. Step 2: Check exception throwing syntax and catch output

   try { if ($age < 18) { throw new Exception("Too young"); } } catch (Exception $e) { echo $e->getMessage(); } uses correct syntax throw new Exception("Too young") and prints the exception message with echo $e->getMessage();.

3. Final Answer:

   try { if ($age < 18) { throw new Exception("Too young"); } } catch (Exception $e) { echo $e->getMessage(); } -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Throw inside try, catch prints message [OK]

Hint: Always throw exceptions inside try blocks to catch them [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Throwing outside try block
• Missing 'new' keyword when throwing
• Printing hardcoded message instead of exception message