Replace Exceptions With Defaults
December 1, 2017
All programming languages provide ways to handle exceptions, and all programs should be careful to handle exceptions properly; it’s good programming practice to keep exceptions from interfering with the normal conduct of your program, and courteous to your users. A good way to handle exceptions is to replace them with default values. Consider this:
> (car '()) Exception in car: () is not a pair > (try (car '()) #f) #f
The first exception is unhandled, and displays an error to the user. The second exception is handled, and converts the error to a default value. Replacing exceptions with defaults makes programs more robust.
Your task is to devise a simple system of replacing exceptions with defaults in your favorite programming language. When you are finished, you are welcome to read or run a suggested solution, or to post your own solution or discuss the exercise in the comments below.
Programming Praxis 