Guidelines on clean up code

Many a times, we use the catch block inside the try catch block for our clean up code.

Something like

try

{

 // Do something

}

catch

{

    // work failed, clean up code here
}

 

Rather than the above approach of using the catch block, it would be nicer to use the finally block, something like

 

bool workSuccessful = false;

try

{

   // do some work

   workSuccessful = true;

}

finally

{

  if(!workSuccessfull)

  {

    // cleanup code here.

  }

}

 

There is elegance in the latter method and I would certainly recommend that approach, if you cannot use "using". See below for details.

 

PS: Use this approach only if better alternatives are not available. One of the automatic cleanup approaches available with C# is the using construct.

Something like,

using (TextReader tr = new StreamReader("FileName"))

{

  // do my work here.

}

 

The "using" construct automatically clean up the unmanaged resource (TextReader) once the block has completed execution.

In the event that you cannot use "using", the try-finally approach would be the best way.