Question: Similar to [this question](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/233030/worst-php-practice-found-in-your-experience)...

What are the worst practices you actually found in Java code?

Mine are:

* using instance variables in servlets (it's not just bad practice but bug, actually)
* using Collection implementations like HashMap, and not using the appropriate interfaces
* using seemingly cryptic class names like SmsMaker (SmsFactory) or CommEnvironment (CommunicationContext)

Answer: 
I had to maintain java code, where most of the Exception handling was like:

```
catch( Exception e ) {}

```
I think this one for me must be a record. A class is used for building a complex data model for the front end involving filtering. so the method that returns the list of objects goes something like this:

```
    public DataObjectList (GenerateList (massive signature involving 14 parameters, three of which are collections and one is a collection of collections) 
try { 

250 lines of code to retrieve the data which calls a stored proc that parses some of it and basically contains GUI logic

 } catch (Exception e) {
            return new DataObjectList(e, filterFields);
        }

```

So I got here because I was wondering how come the following calling method was failing and I couldn't see where the Exception field was being set. 

```
DataObjectList dataObjectList= EntireSystemObject.getDataObjectList Generator().generateDataObjectList (viewAsUserCode, processedDataRowHandler, folderQuery, pageNumber, listCount, sortColumns, sortDirections, groupField, filters, firstRun, false, false, resetView);

dataObjectList.setData(processedDataRowHandler.getData());

if (dataObjectList.getErrorException() == null) {

do stuff for GUI, I think, put lots of things into maps ... 250 lines or so

       }
            return dataObjectList;
        } else {

put a blank version into the GUI and then  

            throw new DWRErrorException("List failed due to list generation error", "list failed due to list generation error for folder: " + folderID + ", column: " + columnID, List.getErrorException(), ListInfo);
        }

```

All with me so far? 

Well at least they did tell us in the front end that something did actually go wrong!