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As shown in this noncompliant code example, a method modifies a node if it can find it in a linked list , and does nothing if the node is not in the list. But this method gives no indication if of whether it modified any node or not. A method A method can silently corrupt the state of the object if it provides little communication describing what it did.
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This solution returns a Node when one is found , and throws a NodeNotFoundException if the node is not available in the list.
Using exceptions to indicate failure can be a good design choice, but throwing exceptions are is not always appropriate. In general, a method should only throw an exception only when it is always expected to succeed...an succeed—an exception is only appropriate here only if the developer believes the method will always succeed.
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A return value that might be null is an in-band error indicator, which is discussed more thoroughly in ERR52-JG. Avoid in-band error indicators. This design is permitted , but is considered inferior to other designs, such as those shown in the other compliant solutions in this guideline.
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Failure to provide appropriate feedback through a combination of return values, error codes, and exceptions can lead to inconsistent object state and unexpected program behavior.
Related Guidelines
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Bibliography
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