Catching specific exception types

Context: Catching specific exception types allows you to respond differently to different error conditions. The catch block can specify an exception type (e.g., FileNotFoundException, DivideByZeroException). This is better than catching a generic Exception because it preserves the original exception details and allows tailored error handling.

Usage Example

using System;
using System.IO;

class Program
{
    static void Main()
    {
        try
        {
            int[] numbers = { 1, 2, 3 };
            Console.WriteLine(numbers[10]); // IndexOutOfRangeException
        }
        catch (IndexOutOfRangeException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Index error: {ex.Message}");
        }
        catch (FileNotFoundException ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"File missing: {ex.Message}");
        }
        catch (Exception ex)
        {
            Console.WriteLine($"Unexpected error: {ex.Message}");
        }
    }
}

Output console

dotnet run
Index error: Index was outside the bounds of the array.

Important notes

• Order matters: catch more specific types first, then more general.
• The generic Exception catch block should be last.
• Avoid catching Exception unless you truly handle or log it.

Real-world usage example

Parsing user input – Catch FormatException for invalid number formats, OverflowException for numbers out of range, and Exception for unexpected issues.
See .NET docs on exception handling.

Related sections

• 12.1 try catch finally
• 12.1.2 Multiple catch blocks