Method to find the exact line of code that caused an error in VB.NET using Try Catch

[IT_Researcher]

When an error occurs while executing the project (in this case, dividing by zero), the message box displays the exception details, including the file path, procedure and line number where the error occurred, such as "Form1.vb:line 5".

Public Class Form1
    Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        Try
            Dim d As Integer
            Dim c As Integer = d / 0
            MsgBox(c.ToString)
        Catch ex As Exception
            MsgBox(ex.toString)
        End Try
    End Sub
End Class

For the above code, Is there any code that can be placed in catch part so that message box should display the exact line of code that caused the error, i.e., "Dim c As Integer = d / 0" which would be helpful for logging spcific line of code where error occured for larger coding projects.

I want to get the line of code along with line number details for easier Debugging.

[jdelano]

You can use the stack trace (a map to the line causing an error) in your message box message. Like:

Public Class Form1
    Private Sub Form1_Load(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles MyBase.Load
        Try
	    Dim d As Integer
	    Dim c As Integer = d / 0
	    MsgBox(c.ToString)
	Catch ex As Exception
	    MsgBox($"{ex.toString} {ex.message} {ex.stacktrace}")
	End Try
    End Sub
End Class

More on what Exception has available. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/do...and-properties

edit: format the code block
edit2: more on the use of $ to create the string for the message https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/do...olated-strings

[jmcilhinney]

format the code block

Indeed. Not surprisingly, the QUOTE tag is for posting a quote and the CODE tag is for posting code.

[jmcilhinney]

Is there any code that can be placed in catch part so that message box should display the exact line of code that caused the error, i.e., "Dim c As Integer = d / 0" which would be helpful for logging specific line of code where error occurred for larger coding projects.

No there isn't, but why would you need it? More often than not, the actual line of code is not much use witho9ut the context. If you have the file and the line number then you can get the line of code that refers to anyway, along with the context.

[Shaggy Hiker]

The actual line of code might even be misleading. Consider the Null Reference Exception. That just means that an object that you are trying to do something with is Nothing. The exception will take you to the line where you tried to do something with the object, and that may be all you need to see, but usually, the question is, "why is that object Nothing?" The answer to that question is rarely found on the line that throws the exception, but is usually found earlier.

Then consider what happens with optimization, where lines of source code may not correspond to much of anything in the executing code, as things might have been optimized away. Whatever line throws the exception will correspond to some line of source code, but it need not be the right one, just in the vicinity of the right one.

The stack trace is the most valuable item, as it puts you in the right vicinity, but it isn't all you ever need, it's just all you can have to start out with.

[jdelano]

Indeed. Not surprisingly, the QUOTE tag is for posting a quote and the CODE tag is for posting code.

When I use Notepad3 and paste it here, it over indents, like it seems to double the tabs. Fixing it just eased my senses.

[TysonLPrice]

Here is what I use. I got it off the internet many years ago:

    Public Function GetExceptionInfo(ex As Exception) As String
        Dim Result As String
        Dim hr As Integer = Runtime.InteropServices.Marshal.GetHRForException(ex)
        Result = ex.GetType.ToString & "(0x" & hr.ToString("X8") & "): " & ex.Message & Environment.NewLine & ex.StackTrace & Environment.NewLine
        Dim st As StackTrace = New StackTrace(ex, True)
        For Each sf As StackFrame In st.GetFrames
            If sf.GetFileLineNumber() > 0 Then
                Result &= "Line:" & sf.GetFileLineNumber() & " Filename: " & IO.Path.GetFileName(sf.GetFileName) & Environment.NewLine
            End If
        Next
        Return Result
    End Function

I use it like this:

Catch ex As Exception
            mErrorMessage = "Error in btnStartInput - Line number: " & GetExceptionInfo(ex)
            MsgBox(mErrorMessage)
            Me.Cursor = Windows.Forms.Cursors.Default
            Exit Sub
        End Try

The gurus here might pick it apart but I have found it to be very reliable and use it all over the place. It rarely fails me but our applications are mainly straight business without a lot of bells and whistles. Sometimes it brings back multiple lines numbers but one will be it.