Coding⏱️ 3 min read📅 2026-06-04

How to Fix: Passing multiple error classes to ruby's rescue clause in a DRY fashion

Passing multiple error classes to ruby's rescue clause in a DRY fashion

Quick Answer: Use an array of exception types and pass it to the rescue clause, e.g. rescue EXCEPTIONS: puts 'rescued!'

The error of passing multiple error classes to ruby's rescue clause in a DRY fashion is frustrating and affects developers who work with Ruby.

This issue can be solved by storing the list of exception types that need to be rescued in a variable and passing those types to the rescue clause, making the code more maintainable and efficient.

💡 Why You Are Getting This Error

  • The primary root cause of this error is that the rescue clause is not designed to handle multiple exceptions in a DRY fashion.
  • Another alternative reason for this issue is that Ruby's rescue clause does not support passing an array of exception types, making it difficult to implement a DRY solution.

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Storing Exception Types in a Variable

  1. Step 1: Create a variable named EXCEPTIONS and assign it an array containing the exception classes that need to be rescued.
  2. Step 2: Pass the EXCEPTIONS variable to the rescue clause using the syntax rescue EXCEPTIONS.
  3. Step 3: This approach makes it easy to add or remove exception types from the rescue clause without modifying the code.

Using a Class or Module for Exception Handling

  1. Step 1: Create a class or module named ExceptionHandler that contains a method for handling exceptions.
  2. Step 2: In this method, pass an array of exception classes to the rescue clause using the syntax rescue EXCEPTIONS.
  3. Step 3: This approach allows you to encapsulate exception handling logic and make it reusable across multiple parts of your codebase.

💡 Conclusion

By storing exception types in a variable or using a class/module for exception handling, developers can solve the issue of passing multiple error classes to ruby's rescue clause in a DRY fashion.

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