What makes an exception a checked or an Unchecked Exception

[Rajiv Rai]

Hi

I saw the source files for RuntimeException and IOException classes
and they are both defined in the same way. Then what is that which makes
one a checked exception and another and unchecked exception?

Also can we create both unchecked and unchecked exceptions?

[Stuart A. Burkett]

Rajiv Rai wrote:I saw the source files for RuntimeException and IOException classes
and they are both defined in the same way. Then what is that which makes
one a checked exception and another and unchecked exception?

A unchecked exception is any class that is a subclass (either directly or indirectly) of RuntimeException

Rajiv Rai wrote:Also can we create both unchecked and unchecked exceptions?

Yes

[Jelle Klap]

RuntimeException and its subtypes are treated as unchecked exceptions, because that's the way the JLS defines it

JLS 11.1.1 wrote:
The class RuntimeException is a direct subclass of Exception. RuntimeException is the superclass of all the exceptions which may be thrown for many reasons during expression evaluation, but from which recovery may still be possible.
RuntimeException and all its subclasses are, collectively, the runtime exception classes.
...
The unchecked exception classes are the runtime exception classes and the error classes.
The checked exception classes are all exception classes other than the unchecked exception classes. That is, the checked exception classes are all subclasses of Throwable other than RuntimeException and its subclasses and Error and its subclasses.

[Rajiv Rai]

So I guess it means that though both RuntimeException and IOException are
direct subclasses of Exception class .. its just that the compiler treats RuntimeException
as unchecked exception and IOException as checked exception to comply with the JLS

So the differentiation between them is at the compiler level

[Jelle Klap]

Rajiv Rai wrote:So I guess it means that though both RuntimeException and IOException are
direct subclasses of Exception class .. its just that the compiler treats RuntimeException
as unchecked exception and IOException as checked exception to comply with the JLS

So the differentiation between them is at the compiler level

Right. Only the compiler cares about checked vs. unchecked exceptions.