try blocks in Python vs. C++

[Sean 'Shaleh' Perry]

On Thursday 05 September 2002 16:53, Roy Smith wrote:
> I'm reading Stroustroup's C++ book, and came upon a piece of advice to
> avoid using try blocks.  I use try blocks a lot in Python and gather
> it's common practice among pythonistas.
>
> Is there something fundamentally different about try blocks in Python
> and C++ which makes them more attractive to use in one vs. the other?
> On the surface, they appear to be virtually identical in just about
> every respect.  Is it simply a cultural difference?  Or just the
> author's own personal style?

If I recall, Stroustrup's advice is to let higher level code deal with errors 
and not to avoid try's entirely.  The python equivalent would be:

def func():
    ...
    ...
    i_may_except
    ...
    ...

try:
    func()
except ....:
    ...

if you write code like:

def func():
    try:
      do this
    except ...:
      ...

    try:
      do that
    except ...:
      ...

it is no better than the old style of testing each and every function call's 
return value.  You spend more time reading and writing error handling code 
than anything else.