What is the catch or declare rule for method declarations

The “catch or declare” rule is associated with checked exceptions in Java. According to this rule, if a method may throw a checked exception, the method must either catch the exception using a try-catch block or declare the exception using the throws clause in the method signature.

Here’s a brief explanation:

1. Catch: If a method can handle a checked exception locally, it should use a try-catch block to catch the exception and handle it within the method.
   java

   public void exampleMethod() {
try {
// code that may throw a checked exception
} catch (SomeCheckedException e) {
// handle the exception locally
}
}

2. Declare: If a method cannot handle a checked exception locally, it should declare the exception using the throws clause in the method signature. This means that the method informs the caller that it might throw a specific exception, and the caller must handle it.
   java

   public void exampleMethod() throws SomeCheckedException {
// code that may throw a checked exception
}


Failure to either catch or declare the checked exception will result in a compilation error.

This rule ensures that developers explicitly handle or communicate the possibility of checked exceptions, promoting better error handling in Java programs.