exception handling

Overview Error handling in Python moves beyond simple debugging; it acts as a communication layer between your code and its users. While built-in exceptions like `ValueError` or `TypeError` cover basic logic failures, they often lack the specificity needed for complex domain logic. Creating custom exception classes allows you to group errors meaningfully, attach rich metadata, and provide clearer diagnostic information. This structure ensures that your application fails gracefully and predictably. Prerequisites To get the most out of this guide, you should understand: * Basic Python class syntax and inheritance. * The standard `try...except` block flow. * How to use the `raise` keyword to interrupt execution. Key Libraries & Tools * **Standard Library**: Python's built-in exceptions form the base hierarchy for all custom errors. * **BaseException**: The root of all Python exceptions, though developers should inherit from `Exception` for application-level errors. Code Walkthrough To build a custom exception, you must subclass the `Exception` class. This allows your new type to integrate perfectly with Python's error-handling machinery. ```python class WeightLimitExceededError(Exception): def __init__(self, limit, current_weight, message="Weight limit exceeded"): self.limit = limit self.current_weight = current_weight self.message = f"{message}: {current_weight} > {limit}" super().__init__(self.message) ``` In this snippet, we define `WeightLimitExceededError`. By overriding `__init__`, we capture the `limit` and `current_weight` at the moment of the failure. This data is invaluable for logging or UI feedback later. Calling `super().__init__` ensures the base class receives the error string, maintaining compatibility with standard traceback tools. Syntax Notes Python provides a sophisticated control flow for handling these errors: * **raise**: Triggers the exception. * **try/except**: Attempts a block and catches specific errors. * **else**: Runs only if the `try` block succeeded without errors. * **finally**: Executes no matter what, making it perfect for closing files or database connections. Practical Examples Consider a shipping container system. A `WeightLimitExceededError` tells the developer exactly why a `load()` operation failed, whereas a generic `ValueError` might leave them guessing whether the input was the wrong type or simply too large. You can catch these specific errors to trigger business logic, like suggesting a larger container, while letting other unexpected errors bubble up to a global logger. Tips & Gotchas Always inherit from `Exception`, not `BaseException`. The latter includes system-level signals like `KeyboardInterrupt` that you rarely want to catch. Furthermore, avoid leaving `except` blocks empty. Catching everything with a bare `except:` hides bugs and makes your code impossible to debug. Always be explicit about which custom exception you are catching.