Summary

Change ExceptionInInitializerError(Throwable cause) to include a default detail message and add a new LinkageError(Throwable cause) constructor.

Problem

ExceptionInInitializerError(Throwable cause) sets the detail message to null. It'd be helpful to include a detail message rather than null for troubleshooting consistent with the existing Throwable(Throwable cause) constructor that sets the message to cause==null ? null : cause.toString().

LinkageError, superclass of ExceptionInInitializerError, does not have a constructor with just the cause parameter. It'd be useful for LinkageError to add such a constructor to retrofit the exception chaining message.

Solution

• Change ExceptionInInitializerError(Throwable cause) to include a default detail message
• add a new LinkageError(Throwable cause) constructor

Specification

diff --git a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/ExceptionInInitializerError.java b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/ExceptionInInitializerError.java
--- a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/ExceptionInInitializerError.java
+++ b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/ExceptionInInitializerError.java
@@ -68,31 +68,28 @@
     }

     /**
-     * Constructs a new <code>ExceptionInInitializerError</code> class by
-     * saving a reference to the <code>Throwable</code> object thrown for
-     * later retrieval by the {@link #getException()} method. The detail
-     * message string is set to <code>null</code>.
+     * Constructs an {@code ExceptionInInitializerError} with
+     * the specified cause and a detail message of
+     * {@code (cause==null ? null : cause.toString())}.
      *
-     * @param thrown The exception thrown
+     * @param cause the cause, may be {@code null}
      */
-    public ExceptionInInitializerError(Throwable thrown) {
-        initCause(null);  // Disallow subsequent initCause
-        this.exception = thrown;
+    public ExceptionInInitializerError(Throwable cause) {
+        super(cause);        // Disallow subsequent initCause
+        this.exception = cause;
     }

     /**
-     * Constructs an ExceptionInInitializerError with the specified detail
+     * Constructs an {@code ExceptionInInitializerError} with the specified detail
      * message string.  A detail message is a String that describes this
      * particular exception. The detail message string is saved for later
      * retrieval by the {@link Throwable#getMessage()} method. There is no
      * saved throwable object.
      *
-     *
      * @param s the detail message
      */
     public ExceptionInInitializerError(String s) {
-        super(s);
-        initCause(null);  // Disallow subsequent initCause
+        super(s, null);  // Disallow subsequent initCause
     }

diff --git a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/LinkageError.java b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/LinkageError.java
--- a/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/LinkageError.java
+++ b/src/java.base/share/classes/java/lang/LinkageError.java
@@ -66,4 +66,16 @@
     public LinkageError(String s, Throwable cause) {
         super(s, cause);
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Constructs a {@code LinkageError} with the specified cause and a detail
+     * message of {@code (cause==null ? null : cause.toString())} (which
+     * typically contains the class and detail message of {@code cause}).
+     *
+     * @param cause the cause, may be {@code null}
+     * @since 12
+     */
+    public LinkageError(Throwable cause) {
+        super(cause);
 }
+}