Handling Exceptions in PHP: A Comprehensive Guide to try & catch

What Are Exceptions in PHP?

Exceptions in PHP, much like in other programming languages, represent errors that can be intercepted and handled gracefully, preventing your application from crashing.

When Should You Use Exceptions?

Exceptions are ideal for managing unexpected events in your code without resorting to abrupt terminations, such as those caused by fatal errors.

Throwing Exceptions

To throw an exception, use the throw keyword alongside an instance of the Exception class. The first argument typically provides a descriptive error message.

Here’s an example of validating user input:

if (empty($_POST['age'])) {  
    throw new Exception('Your age is missing!');  
}

Executing this code without handling the exception results in:

Fatal error: Uncaught Exception: Your age is missing!

This outcome occurs because the exception hasn’t been caught or managed yet.

Using try & catch to Handle Exceptions

PHP allows you to manage exceptions through try and catch blocks. Here’s an example: