Use semantic exceptions

Choose exception types that accurately reflect the nature of the error. Use LogicException for developer errors like incorrect usage, InvalidArgumentException for invalid inputs, OutOfBoundsException for range violations, and specialized exceptions for domain-specific errors.

This improves error diagnostics, enables selective exception handling, and communicates intent more clearly than using generic exceptions or returning magic values.

// Instead of this
throw new Exception("Invalid compression mode");

// Do this
if ($mode < 1 || $mode > 9) {
    throw new OutOfBoundsException('Compression mode must be between 1 and 9.');
}

// Instead of this
throw (new ModelNotFoundException)->setModel(get_class($this), $value);

// Do this
throw (new InvalidIdFormatException)->setModel(get_class($this), $value);

// Instead of using assertions that may be disabled
assert(is_object($model), 'Resource collection guesser expects objects.');

// Do this
if (!is_object($model)) {
    throw new InvalidArgumentException('Resource collection guesser expects objects.');
}

// For related exceptions, create hierarchies for better error handling
class ViteException extends Exception {}
class ViteManifestNotFoundException extends ViteException {}

When creating exception hierarchies, consider extending from framework exceptions like HttpException for web applications to ensure proper HTTP status codes are returned. This allows consumers to handle entire categories of errors with a single catch block while still providing appropriate responses.

Good exception selection is the foundation of effective error handling and leads to more maintainable, self-documenting code.