PHP - Exception Hierarchies and Order

PHP exception classes form a hierarchy, with more specific exceptions being subclasses of more general ones. When catching exceptions, order matters. Put more specific catch blocks before more general ones, or the specific exceptions won't be caught.

try {
    // ...
} catch (DatabaseException $dbException) {
    // Handle specific database exception
} catch (Exception $e) {
    // Handle general exceptions
}

Rethrowing Exceptions:

You can also rethrow exceptions to handle them at a higher level. This can be useful for logging or reporting purposes while still allowing the exception to be caught and handled further up the call stack.

try {
    // ...
} catch (DatabaseException $dbException) {
    // Log the exception
    throw $dbException; // Rethrow the exception
}

Handling different types of exceptions allows you to respond specifically to various error scenarios in your application. This leads to more targeted and meaningful error handling, making it easier to debug and maintain your code.