> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://tally.wharflab.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# powershell/PSAvoidUsingEmptyCatchBlock

> Avoid Using Empty Catch Block

`powershell/PSAvoidUsingEmptyCatchBlock` is a PSScriptAnalyzer diagnostic emitted by tally for PowerShell snippets embedded in Dockerfiles.

| Property | Value            |
| -------- | ---------------- |
| Severity | Warning          |
| Category | PSScriptAnalyzer |
| Auto-fix | No               |

## Description

Empty catch blocks are considered a poor design choice because any errors occurring in a
`try` block cannot be handled.

## How

Use `Write-Error` or `throw` statements within the catch block.

## Examples

### Problematic code

```powershell theme={null}
try
{
    1/0
}
catch [DivideByZeroException]
{
}
```

### Correct code

```powershell theme={null}
try
{
    1/0
}
catch [DivideByZeroException]
{
    Write-Error 'DivideByZeroException'
}

try
{
    1/0
}
catch [DivideByZeroException]
{
    throw 'DivideByZeroException'
}
```

## Source

This rule documentation is adapted from Microsoft's PSScriptAnalyzer documentation for
[AvoidUsingEmptyCatchBlock](https://github.com/MicrosoftDocs/PowerShell-Docs-Modules/blob/main/reference/docs-conceptual/PSScriptAnalyzer/Rules/AvoidUsingEmptyCatchBlock.md),
licensed under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).