Why is main() method allowed to declare exceptions?

Question

"Handle or declare. That's the law." - Head First

But, is it a good law? Let me give an example first:

public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
    m1();
}

static void m1() throws Exception{
    m2();
}

static void m2() throws Exception {
    throw new Exception();
}

m2() throws exception and m1() calls m2(), meaning it must either handle or declare it. Hmmm let's declare it. Then main() calls m1() and it has same poll: declare or handle. I again decided to declare it and code compiles just fine.

Okay, it works, but who handled this exception at all? Looks like no one did. I know I am a beginner, but I don't like the sound of that. Yes, some methods can decide whether to declare or handle exceptions, but why main()? Shouldn't main method be one that just handles? In that way, no exception could "slip".

Am I missing something to this? I was honestly surprised that it is okay for main method to just declare exception, knowing that it is the last place we could technically catch something.

Answer 1

who handled this exception at all?

The Java runtime did.

More specifically, the UncaughtExceptionHandler did, as specified in the Java Language Specification (JLS), section 11.3. Run-Time Handling of an Exception:

If no catch clause that can handle an exception can be found, then the current thread (the thread that encountered the exception) is terminated. Before termination, all finally clauses are executed and the uncaught exception is handled according to the following rules:

• If the current thread has an uncaught exception handler set, then that handler is executed.

• Otherwise, the method uncaughtException is invoked for the ThreadGroup that is the parent of the current thread. If the ThreadGroup and its parent ThreadGroups do not override uncaughtException, then the default handler's uncaughtException method is invoked.

So, by default, when main() throws an exception, unchecked or checked, the built-in default "uncaught exception handler" will simply print the stacktrace to System.err, as-if the following was executed right before main() was called:

Thread.setDefaultUncaughtExceptionHandler(new DefaultUncaughtExceptionHandler());

class DefaultUncaughtExceptionHandler implements Thread.UncaughtExceptionHandler {
    @Override
    public void uncaughtException(Thread t, Throwable e) {
        e.printStackTrace();
    }
}

After the "uncaught exception handler" has been invoked the thread is terminated, same as if you simply return from the main() method, and unless the code has started non-daemon threads that are still running, the program ends.

Answer 2

Application may contain more than one class with main method. In that case application should declare a manifest to know which main is entrypoint (first called method). Main method can be called from another methods or another main method as a static method and can throw any exception. If you don't catch exception at least in entrypoint, then exception returned from your application to java virtual machine, then mashine deside what todo with exception. Usually jvm prints error message and return value other than 0 to operating system.