I've created a custom exception for a very specific problem that can go wrong. I receive data from another system, and I raise the exception if it bombs while trying to parse that data. In my custom exception, I added a field called "ResponseData", so I can track exactly what my code couldn't handle.
In custom exceptions such as this one, should that extra response data go into the exception "message"? If it goes there, the message could be huge. I kind of want it there because I'm using Elmah, and that's how I can get at that data.
So the question is either: - How can I get Elmah to record extra information from a field in a custom exception OR - Should extra exception details go into the "message" property?
You shouldn't fill .Message with debug information, but rather with a concise, helpful piece of text.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.exception.message.aspx
The text of Message should completely describe the error and should, when possible, explain how to correct it. The value of the Message property is included in the information returned by ToString.
The Message property is set only when creating an Exception. If no message was supplied to the constructor for the current instance, the system supplies a default message that is formatted using the current system culture.
[..]
Notes to Inheritors:
The Message property is overridden in classes that require control over message content or format. Application code typically accesses this property when it needs to display information about an exception that has been caught.
The error message should be localized.
Response data does not qualify as a description.
Not being familiar with elmah, I can't tell you how to extend the Exception class while using it. Does elmah implement its own subclass to Exception? Or an interface? Can you subclass it yourself?