Though @Test(expected = MyException.class) and the ExpectedException rule are very good choices, there are some instances where the JUnit3-style exception catching is still the best way to go:
@Test public void yourTest() {
try {
systemUnderTest.doStuff();
fail("MyException expected.");
} catch (MyException expected) {
// Though the ExpectedException rule lets you write matchers about
// exceptions, it is sometimes useful to inspect the object directly.
assertEquals(1301, expected.getMyErrorCode());
}
// In both @Test(expected=...) and ExpectedException code, the
// exception-throwing line will be the last executed line, because Java will
// still traverse the call stack until it reaches a try block--which will be
// inside the JUnit framework in those cases. The only way to prevent this
// behavior is to use your own try block.
// This is especially useful to test the state of the system after the
// exception is caught.
assertTrue(systemUnderTest.isInErrorState());
}
Another library that claims to help here is catch-exception; however, as of May 2014, the project appears to be in maintenance mode (obsoleted by Java 8), and much like Mockito catch-exception can only manipulate non-final methods.
