FaultException Class

Definition

generic 
public ref class FaultException : System::ServiceModel::FaultException

public class FaultException : System.ServiceModel.FaultException

[System.Serializable]
public class FaultException : System.ServiceModel.FaultException

type FaultException<'Detail> = class
    inherit FaultException

[]
type FaultException<'Detail> = class
    inherit FaultException

Public Class FaultException(Of TDetail)
Inherits FaultException

Type Parameters

Inheritance

Object

Exception

CommunicationException

FaultException

FaultException

Inheritance

Object

Exception

SystemException

CommunicationException

FaultException

FaultException

Derived

System.ServiceModel.Web.WebFaultException

Attributes

SerializableAttribute

Examples

The following code example shows how a service uses the FaultException type to throw a managed exception that gets converted into the SOAP fault specified by the FaultContractAttribute.

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Net.Security;
using System.Runtime.Serialization;
using System.ServiceModel;
using System.Text;

namespace Microsoft.WCF.Documentation
{
  [ServiceContract(Namespace="http://microsoft.wcf.documentation")]
  public interface ISampleService{
    [OperationContract]
    [FaultContractAttribute(
      typeof(GreetingFault),
      Action="http://www.contoso.com/GreetingFault",
      ProtectionLevel=ProtectionLevel.EncryptAndSign
      )]
    string SampleMethod(string msg);
  }

  [DataContractAttribute]
  public class GreetingFault
  {
    private string report;

    public GreetingFault(string message)
    {
      this.report = message;
    }

    [DataMemberAttribute]
    public string Message
    {
      get { return this.report; }
      set { this.report = value; }
    }
  }

  class SampleService : ISampleService
  {
  #region ISampleService Members

  public string  SampleMethod(string msg)
  {
    Console.WriteLine("Client said: " + msg);
    // Generate intermittent error behavior.
    Random rnd = new Random(DateTime.Now.Millisecond);
    int test = rnd.Next(5);
    if (test % 2 != 0)
      return "The service greets you: " + msg;
    else
      throw new FaultException(new GreetingFault("A Greeting error occurred. You said: " + msg));
  }

  #endregion
  }
}

Imports System.Collections.Generic
Imports System.Net.Security
Imports System.Runtime.Serialization
Imports System.ServiceModel
Imports System.Text

Namespace Microsoft.WCF.Documentation
   _
  Public Interface ISampleService
     _
    Function SampleMethod(ByVal msg As String) As String
  End Interface

   _
  Public Class GreetingFault
    Private report As String

    Public Sub New(ByVal message As String)
      Me.report = message
    End Sub

     _
    Public Property Message() As String
      Get
          Return Me.report
      End Get
      Set(ByVal value As String)
          Me.report = value
      End Set
    End Property
  End Class

  Friend Class SampleService
      Implements ISampleService
  #Region "ISampleService Members"

  Public Function SampleMethod(ByVal msg As String) As String Implements ISampleService.SampleMethod
    Console.WriteLine("Client said: " & msg)
    ' Generate intermittent error behavior.
    Dim rand As New Random(DateTime.Now.Millisecond)
    Dim test As Integer = rand.Next(5)
    If test Mod 2 <> 0 Then
      Return "The service greets you: " & msg
    Else
      Throw New FaultException(Of GreetingFault)(New GreetingFault("A Greeting error occurred. You said: " & msg))
    End If
  End Function

  #End Region
  End Class
End Namespace

The following code example shows how the client code looks when imported by the client using the ServiceModel Metadata Utility Tool (Svcutil.exe).

The following code example shows how a client can catch the FaultException type that represents the custom SOAP fault specified in the operation contract.

using System;
using System.ServiceModel;
using System.ServiceModel.Channels;
using Microsoft.WCF.Documentation;

public class Client
{
  public static void Main()
  {
    // Picks up configuration from the config file.
    SampleServiceClient wcfClient = new SampleServiceClient();
    try
    {
      // Making calls.
      Console.WriteLine("Enter the greeting to send: ");
      string greeting = Console.ReadLine();
      Console.WriteLine("The service responded: " + wcfClient.SampleMethod(greeting));

      Console.WriteLine("Press ENTER to exit:");
      Console.ReadLine();

      // Done with service.
      wcfClient.Close();
      Console.WriteLine("Done!");
    }
    catch (TimeoutException timeProblem)
    {
      Console.WriteLine("The service operation timed out. " + timeProblem.Message);
      Console.ReadLine();
      wcfClient.Abort();
    }
    catch (FaultException greetingFault)
    {
      Console.WriteLine(greetingFault.Detail.Message);
      Console.ReadLine();
      wcfClient.Abort();
    }
    catch (FaultException unknownFault)
    {
      Console.WriteLine("An unknown exception was received. " + unknownFault.Message);
      Console.ReadLine();
      wcfClient.Abort();
    }
    catch (CommunicationException commProblem)
    {
      Console.WriteLine("There was a communication problem. " + commProblem.Message + commProblem.StackTrace);
      Console.ReadLine();
      wcfClient.Abort();
    }
  }
}

Imports System.ServiceModel
Imports System.ServiceModel.Channels
Imports Microsoft.WCF.Documentation

Public Class Client
  Public Shared Sub Main()
    ' Picks up configuration from the config file.
    Dim wcfClient As New SampleServiceClient()
    Try
      ' Making calls.
      Console.WriteLine("Enter the greeting to send: ")
      Dim greeting As String = Console.ReadLine()
      Console.WriteLine("The service responded: " & wcfClient.SampleMethod(greeting))

      Console.WriteLine("Press ENTER to exit:")
      Console.ReadLine()

      ' Done with service. 
      wcfClient.Close()
      Console.WriteLine("Done!")
    Catch timeProblem As TimeoutException
      Console.WriteLine("The service operation timed out. " & timeProblem.Message)
      Console.ReadLine()
      wcfClient.Abort()
    Catch greetingFault As FaultException(Of GreetingFault)
      Console.WriteLine(greetingFault.Detail.Message)
      Console.ReadLine()
      wcfClient.Abort()
    Catch unknownFault As FaultException
      Console.WriteLine("An unknown exception was received. " & unknownFault.Message)
      Console.ReadLine()
      wcfClient.Abort()
    Catch commProblem As CommunicationException
      Console.WriteLine("There was a communication problem. " & commProblem.Message + commProblem.StackTrace)
      Console.ReadLine()
      wcfClient.Abort()
    End Try
  End Sub
End Class

Remarks

Catch the FaultException object in a Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) client application to handle a SOAP fault that has been contractually specified in an operation contract.

Typical deployed services use the FaultContractAttribute to formally specify all SOAP faults that a client can expect to receive in the normal course of an operation. Error information in a FaultContractAttribute appears as a FaultException (where the typeparameter is the serializable error object specified in the operation's FaultContractAttribute) when it arrives at a client application. The FaultContractAttribute can be used to specify SOAP faults for both two-way service methods and for asynchronous method pairs.

Because FaultException is both a FaultException and therefore a CommunicationException, to catch specified SOAP faults make sure you catch the FaultException types prior to the FaultException and CommunicationException types or handle the specified exceptions in one of those exception handlers.