Java, return new MyException: anti-pattern?

Question

In my class I'm doing validation of custom data. Many conditions apply. Upon any failure, I want to throw a specific MyException. Throwing this MyException takes many common parameters, and one custom parameter (based upon the actual failure). So an actual throw takes many characters to write and destroys tidyness because of code duplication. Also I have to throw it too much times. I made up my mind to create a private method that prepares and returns a new instance of this MyException and takes the only custom data as parameter, so the code can be much cleaner.

private MyException createMyException(final CustomErrorData errorData)
{
... some info gathering, parameterizing, etc... 
return new MyException(errorData);
}

...

So throwing a new MyException is much shorter:

throw createMyException(errorData);

My question is: what's the correct practice to prevent code duplication in this case? I may be overmistifying Exceptions.

Answer 1

An Exception factory - never seen it before but at least it sounds like a proper design.

I just worry - you seem to put quite a lot effort on designing an exception throwing framework: adding parameters, states, etc. to exceptions. Do you really encounter that many exceptional conditions in your code? Or do you throw exceptions where proper handling of expected conditions would?

Usually a thrown exception is "just for the logs". Something happened that shouldn't have happened in the current context. Something, the developers should know and correct in the next release. We shouldn't use exceptions to handle expected states.

So before investigating in brilliant exception creation code, double-check if it's worth the effort or if the design of your application is starting to get ... too creative.