"Try:" which only encompasses head of compound statement

[Ben Finney]

Jameson.Quinn at gmail.com writes:

> try:
>     for line in open(myFileName):
>         count += openAndProcessSubfile(line)
> except IOError:
>     print "Can't open myfile"
> 
> ... now the 'except' incorrectly catches errors from
> openAndProcessSubfile.

So don't include it. You've discovered a good principle of
exception-based programming: try to only catch exceptions from the
minimum amount of code that does one discrete action.

    try:
        input_file = open(my_filename)
    except IOError, exc:
        print "Can't open myfile: %(exc)" % locals()

    for line in input_file:
        count += open_and_process_subfile(line)

This is easier to read, because it's clearer what's going on. Never be
ashamed to break apart a compound statement into simpler statements if
that will improve readability.

(It's also easier to read because it follows naming conventions in
PEP-8, which I strongly suggest you follow.)

> ...But if my compound statement is "with" instead of "for" that seems
> to defeat the purpose:
> 
> try:
>     myFile = open(myFileName)
> except IOError:
>     print "Can't open myfile"
> with myFile as anotherNameForMyFile:
>     ....
> 
> This is not a very readable "with" statement, I end up giving the
> same thing two names,

Why do that then? You don't need to assign a different name for the
target.

    with input_file:
        # ... do stuff

> and there's a moment when the above code doesn't know to close
> myFile.

Closing the file will occur when the object is cleaned up by garbage
collection.

-- 
 \      "I bought a self learning record to learn Spanish. I turned it |
  `\        on and went to sleep; the record got stuck. The next day I |
_o__)                could only stutter in Spanish."  -- Steven Wright |
Ben Finney