Capturing error with more details in Python
23 Aug 2024The python native library traceback can provide more details about an (unexpected) error compared to error catching with except Exception as ex: and then examine ex.
Let’s make a function that would result in error for demonstration:
import traceback
def do_something_wrong():
cc = int("come on!")
return cc
try: # first catch
do_something_wrong()
except Exception as ex:
print(f"The Exception is here:\n{ex}")
try: # second catch
do_something_wrong()
except:
print(f"Use traceback.format_exc() instead:\n{traceback.format_exc()}")
The first catch would only display
The Exception is here:
invalid literal for int() with base 10: 'come on!'
while the second catch includes not only the error but where it occurs
Use traceback.format_exc() instead:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/Users/csyhuang/JetBrains/PyCharm2024.1/scratches/scratch.py", line 16, in <module>
do_something_wrong()
File "/Users/csyhuang/JetBrains/PyCharm2024.1/scratches/scratch.py", line 5, in do_something_wrong
cc = int("come on!")
In a large software project, the second example would be way more helpful than the first.