Exception
also: exceptions, unhandled exception, uncaught exception
A kind of error the code signals when it hits something it can't handle. It stops the current task unless other code is set up to catch it.
A signal thrown when a program hits a condition it can't handle normally, like a missing file or invalid data. It interrupts normal flow and travels up the call stack until a handler catches it. If nothing catches it, the program or request fails.
A fire alarm pulled mid-meeting. Everything stops. If someone is assigned to handle it, they check it and the meeting resumes. If not, everyone leaves the building.
Agents often talk about throwing, catching, and unhandled exceptions. Knowing the words helps you ask the right question: should this failure stop everything, or should the app recover and show a helpful message?
The upload handler throws an exception when the file is over 10 MB, but nothing catches it, so the server returns a 500. I'll catch it and show a size-limit message.
When the weather API is down, catch the exception and show the last saved forecast with a note. Don't hide it silently; log it too.
Thinking exceptions are always bugs. Many are expected, like a network timeout. The bug is usually not handling them, or catching them and hiding them.