CODEWITHSUNDEEP
c#exceptionswitch-statement
JamesBrownIsDead
JamesBrownIsDead

Reputation: 629

Throwing NotImplementedException on default case in switch statement

Should I throw a NotImplementedException() on default, if I have cases for all possible enum types?

Upvotes: 11

Views: 3958

Answers (10)

Jakub Šturc
Jakub Šturc

Reputation: 35767

It really depends.

  • The NotImplementedException is something like todo mark for me. It means that somebody will comes later to finish the code. However I don't think that's case of default case which shouldn't happen.

  • When you are checking state of the object you may consider InvalidOperationException. Your method is designed only to work with existing cases.

  • When you are discriminating over input parameter ArgumentException is always appropriate.

  • In other cases I prefer NotSupportedException. It slightly indicates that something is wrong with platform or version. And the incompatible versions of the code is the true root of the problem when default case of switch which shouldn't happen happened.

Upvotes: 11

Mike Hofer
Mike Hofer

Reputation: 17022

If you're looking for a value that must, by definition, correspond to the value of an enumeration, and you've received something else, that's definitely an invalid argument.

But now you have to consider the context.

Is the method private, and only accessible by members of your class library or application? If it is, it's a coding error that shouldn't EVER occur in the first place. Assert and fail.

If, on the other hand, it's a public or protected method, and can be accessed by clients consuming your library, you should definitely throw with a meaningful message (and preferably a well-known exception type).

It's important to remember that enumerations are not range-checked in the Framework. I may specify that a method requires a parameter of type Environment.SpecialFolder; but it will accept any 32-bit integer value.

So, in short, if your method is for public consumption, yes, by all means, throw. If it's not for public consumption, Assert.

Upvotes: 13

Massimiliano
Massimiliano

Reputation: 16980

I'd say at least you should put a Debug.Fail() there.

You should throw an exception in case if the method in no way can proceed. But if you are like converting your enum values to string representations, then you can just return some warning string instead. The product will not crash on users due to an obvious mistake, there will be probably a workaround, and everyone will be happy.

Upvotes: 0

Brienne Schroth
Brienne Schroth

Reputation: 2457

You should first consider what it would mean if you got a value outside of the known cases- what does the variable being switched on represent? Then you might simply use an exception type that fits what is actually happening.

Upvotes: 0

user113476
user113476

Reputation:

If you threw the exception what would happen? In what context is the switch statement being executed? Should that situation ever happen? Should it ever happen at run-time in production code? Do your unit tests cover this situation? If so, perhaps an assert would be better.

Upvotes: 0

aJ.
aJ.

Reputation: 35460

It really depends on your use case. It will be helpful if you throw an exception during the early days of integration. The users of your library can immediately come to know the errors

Upvotes: 1

Yuriy Faktorovich
Yuriy Faktorovich

Reputation: 68687

Maybe not NotImplementedException, but ArgumentException. It would really depend on where you're using it.

Upvotes: 4

David Espart
David Espart

Reputation: 11780

I'd throw ApplicationException because if your code reaches default and you didn't expected it this means that something in your code is not behaving as you where thinking.

Upvotes: 1

David
David

Reputation: 73564

That sounds like a reasonable option.

Personally, I would create a new type of exception (perhaps an InvalidEnumException or give it another name that will make sense to the support team) and throw that.

Upvotes: 3

C. Ross
C. Ross

Reputation: 31848

It really depends on the specific process, but yes, it's good process to respond in the default: case if something wasn't supposed to be there.

Upvotes: 2

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