When should you write throwing functions?

Paul Hudson    @twostraws    June 5th 2020

Updated for Xcode 15

Throwing functions in Swift are those that are able to encounter errors they are unable or unwilling to handle. That doesn’t mean they will throw errors, just that it’s possible they can. As a result, Swift will make sure we’re careful when we use them, so that any errors that do occur are catered for.

But when you’re writing your code, chances are you’ll think to yourself “should this function throw any errors it encounters, or should it maybe handle them itself?” This is really common, and to be honest there is no single answer – you can handle the errors inside the function (thus making it not a throwing function), you can send them all back to whatever called the function (called “error propagation” or sometimes “bubbling up errors”), and you can even handle some errors in the function and send some back. All of those are valid solutions, and you will use all of them at some point.

When you’re just getting started, I would recommend you avoid throwing functions most of the time. They can feel a bit clumsy at first because you need to make sure all the errors are handled wherever you use the function, so it feels almost a bit “infectious” – suddenly you have errors needing to be handled in several places in your code, and if those errors bubble up further then the “infection” just spreads.

So, when you’re learning start small: keep the number of throwing functions low, and work outwards from there. Over time you’ll get a get better grip on managing errors to keep your program flow smooth, and you’ll feel more confident about adding throwing functions.

For a different perspective on throwing functions, see this blog post from Donny Wals: https://www.donnywals.com/working-with-throwing-functions-in-swift/

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