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Custom exception type

Asked 2009-01-21T07:40:32.760
249

Can I define custom types for user-defined exceptions in JavaScript? If so, how would I do it?

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2 Answers

11

Here is how you can create custom errors with completely identical to native Error's behaviour. This technique works only in Chrome and node.js for now. I also wouldn't recommend to use it if you don't understand what it does.

Error.createCustromConstructor = (function() {

    function define(obj, prop, value) {
        Object.defineProperty(obj, prop, {
            value: value,
            configurable: true,
            enumerable: false,
            writable: true
        });
    }

    return function(name, init, proto) {
        var CustomError;
        proto = proto || {};
        function build(message) {
            var self = this instanceof CustomError
                ? this
                : Object.create(CustomError.prototype);
            Error.apply(self, arguments);
            Error.captureStackTrace(self, CustomError);
            if (message != undefined) {
                define(self, 'message', String(message));
            }
            define(self, 'arguments', undefined);
            define(self, 'type', undefined);
            if (typeof init == 'function') {
                init.apply(self, arguments);
            }
            return self;
        }
        eval('CustomError = function ' + name + '() {' +
            'return build.apply(this, arguments); }');
        CustomError.prototype = Object.create(Error.prototype);
        define(CustomError.prototype, 'constructor', CustomError);
        for (var key in proto) {
            define(CustomError.prototype, key, proto[key]);
        }
        Object.defineProperty(CustomError.prototype, 'name', { value: name });
        return CustomError;
    }

})();

As a reasult we get

/**
 * name   The name of the constructor name
 * init   User-defined initialization function
 * proto  It's enumerable members will be added to 
 *        prototype of created constructor
 **/
Error.createCustromConst
answered 2012-01-12T03:33:31.397
7

Use the throw statement.

JavaScript doesn't care what the exception type is (as Java does). JavaScript just notices, there's an exception and when you catch it, you can "look" what the exception "says".

If you have different exception types you have to throw, I'd suggest to use variables which contain the string/object of the exception i.e. message. Where you need it use "throw myException" and in the catch, compare the caught exception to myException.

answered 2009-01-21T08:21:39.370

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