WCF web service call - which exception(s) to catch?

Question

I have a program that calls an external web service, and I want to present the user with a friendly dialog if e.g. the server is down, someone cut the cable etc. Assuming th

Answer 1

It's not really the client's job to provide as much detail as possible. The maximum amount you really have to provide at the client side is as much as you get back in your exception.

var userName = "bob";
try 
{      
   client.MyWebService(userName);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
   //Maybe we know WellKnownExceptions and can provide Foo advice:
   if (ex is WellKnownException)
   {
       Console.WriteLine("WellKnownException encountered, do Foo to fix Bar.");
   }
   //otherwise, this is the best you can do:
   Console.WriteLine(string.Format(
         "MyWebService call failed for {0}. Details: {1}", userName, ex));
}