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Basics of error handling

A run-time error is something that goes wrong in your ActionScript code that stops the ActionScript content from running as intended. To ensure that your ActionScript code runs smoothly for users, write code in your application that handles the error—that fixes it, works around it, or at least lets the user know that it has happened. This process is called error handling.

Error handling is a broad category that includes responding to many kinds of errors that are thrown during compilation or while an application is running. Errors that happen at compile time are often easier to identify— fix them to complete the process of creating a SWF file.

Run-time errors can be more difficult to detect, because in order for them to occur the erroneous code must actually be run. If a segment of your program has several branches of code, like an if..then..else statement, test every possible condition, with all the possible input values that real users might use, to confirm that your code is error-free.

Run-time errors can be divided into two categories: program errors are mistakes in your ActionScript code, such as specifying the wrong data type for a method parameter; logical errors are mistakes in the logic (the data checking and value manipulation) of your program, such as using the wrong formula to calculate interest rates in a banking application. Again, both of these types of errors can often be detected and corrected ahead of time by diligently testing your application.

Ideally, you'll want to identify and remove all errors from your application before it is released to end users. However, not all errors can be foreseen or prevented. For example, suppose your ActionScript application loads information from a particular website that is outside your control. If at some point that website isn't available, the part of your application that depends on that external data won't behave correctly. The most important aspect of error handling involves preparing for these unknown cases and handling them gracefully. Users need to continue to use your application, or at least get a friendly error message explaining why it isn't working.

Run-time errors are represented in two ways in ActionScript:

  • Error classes: Many errors have an error class associated with them. When an error occurs, the Flash runtime (such as Flash Player or Adobe AIR) creates an instance of the specific error class that is associated with that particular error. Your code can use the information contained in that error object to make an appropriate response to the error.

  • Error events: Sometimes an error occurs when the Flash runtime would normally trigger an event. In those cases, an error event is triggered instead. Each error event has a class associated with it, and the Flash runtime passes an instance of that class to the methods that are subscribed to the error event.

To determine whether a particular method can trigger an error or error event, see the method's entry in the ActionScript 3.0 Reference for the Adobe Flash Platform.

Important concepts and terms​

The following reference list contains important terms for programming error handling routines:

Asynchronous
A program command such as a method call that doesn't provide an immediate result; instead it gives a result (or error) in the form of an event.

Catch
When an exception (a run-time error) occurs and your code becomes aware of the exception, that code is said to catch the exception. Once an exception is caught, the Flash runtime stops notifying other ActionScript code of the exception.

Debugger version
A special version of the Flash runtime, such as the Flash Player dubugger version or the AIR Debug Launcher (ADL), that contains code for notifying users of run-time errors. In the standard version of Flash Player or Adobe AIR (the one that most users have), errors that aren't handled by your ActionScript code are ignored. In the debugger versions (which are included with Adobe Flash CS4 Professional and Adobe Flash Builder), a warning message appears when an unhandled error happens.

Exception
An error that happens while an application is running and that the Flash runtime can't resolve on its own.

Re-throw
When your code catches an exception, the Flash runtime no longer notifies other objects of the exception. If it's important for other objects to receive the exception, your code must re-throw the exception to start the notification process again.

Synchronous
A program command, such as a method call, that provides an immediate result (or immediately throws an error), meaning that the response can be used within the same code block.

Throw
The act of notifying a Flash runtime (and consequently, notifying other objects and ActionScript code) that an error has occurred is known as throwing an error.