How can I handle errors properly with try/except?

Handling errors properly with `try/except` blocks is essential to writing robust and maintainable Python code. The key is to catch exceptions thoughtfully—so you can handle expected issues gracefully—without accidentally hiding bugs that should be fixed. Here are some best practices for using `try/except` blocks effectively: 1. **Catch Specific Exceptions** Avoid using a bare `except:` or catching overly broad exceptions like `Exception` unless you have a very good reason. Instead, catch only the exceptions you expect and know how to handle. For example: ```python try: result = some_function() except ValueError: # Handle a specific error you anticipate print("Invalid value provided.") ``` This prevents masking unexpected bugs and makes your error handling clearer. 2. **Keep try Blocks Small** Limit the amount of code inside the `try` block to just the statements that might raise the expected exception. This helps ensure you don’t accidentally catch exceptions from unrelated code, which can make debugging difficult. 3. **Log or Report Exceptions When Appropriate** Even if you handle an exception, it’s often helpful to log it for debugging or audit purposes. This way, you don’t silently swallow important errors. For example: ```python import logging try: process_data() except IOError as e: logging.error(f"File processing failed: {e}") # Handle the error or re-raise if necessary ``` 4. **Avoid Bare Excepts and Silent Fails** Don’t write empty `except:` blocks or ones that only have `pass`. This hides problems and makes bugs hard to find. If you truly want to ignore an error, document why explicitly. 5. **Re-raise When Necessary** Sometimes you want to catch an exception to do some cleanup or logging, but then allow it to propagate up. Use `raise` without arguments to re-raise the caught exception: ```python try: risky_code() except SomeError: log_error() raise # Re-raise to let caller handle it ``` 6. **Use `else` and `finally` Blocks** The `else` block runs if no exceptions were raised, which can clarify your code’s intent. The `finally` block is useful for cleanup actions that must run regardless of success or failure. --- By following these practices, you can use `try/except` to handle anticipated errors gracefully while keeping your code transparent and maintainable. This helps ensure that important bugs are not hidden and that your program behaves predictably in the face of errors.