In C++ what are the benefits of using exceptions and try / catch instead of just returning an error code?

Question

I\'ve programmed C and C++ for a long time and so far I\'ve never used exceptions and try / catch. What are the benefits of using that instead of just having functions retur

Answer 1

As @Martin pointed out throwing exceptions forces the programmer to handle the error. For example, not checking return codes is one of the biggest sources of security holes in C programs. Exceptions make sure that you handle the error (hopefully) and provide some kind of recover path for your program. And if you choose to ignore an exception rather than introduce a security hole your program crashes.