[Mono-list] Exceptions and error codes.

[Paolo Molaro]

On 03/21/03 Thong (Tum) Nguyen wrote:
> > You make some good arguments, but I think most of it is irrelevant
> > since, in order to remain compatible with .NET, Mono must behave the
> > same way with respect to returning (or not) exceptions. The MSDN docs
> > describe exactly what exceptions/return codes File.Exists and
> File.Open
> > should return, Mono should do the same (unless the docs are in error).
> A
> > lot of work has already been done on this. You'll notice that many of
> > the test cases test whether or not the correct exception is being
> > returned.
> 
> 
> Definitely.  I was more referring to our own class libraries (such as
> GTK#).

I just want to add another data point to the ones already explained
about the use of error codes or exceptions, especially as it relates to
Gtk+, but this also applies to other libraries that are P/invoked from
the CLR.
C code has no notions of exceptions and of the way exception handling
can unwind the stack (yes, on windows people use SEH in C code, but it's
non-standard and I don't even know if the MS CLR deals with SEH in C
code). So what may happen is:

	C# code with a try block 
	-> Gtk+ code (takes a lock and calls a delegate)
	-> C# code that trows an exception
	-> exceptions handling triggers and gets the stack back to the try block
	-> next time Gtk+ is called again and it needs the lock (that
	could be not unlocked by the exception code, since it's not
	aware of it) you get a nice deadlock	

lupus

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