Welcome, aspiring programmer! Today, we're learning about try and except blocks, which are critical for handling potential errors in Python programming. Through live code, we'll see how these blocks contribute to the design of resilient code, an essential component of sustainable programming!
Errors are an inevitable part of any program. However, using try and "except" blocks, we can manage these errors, ensuring that our programs run smoothly.
In life, things don’t always go as planned. Similarly, unexpected situations may arise in programming - such as a missing file that your code needs to read or a user input mismatch. Anticipating and handling these scenarios is known as error handling. An analogy might be the way a barista handles running out of milk - by informing you and suggesting alternatives.
try and except blocks are equivalent to saying, "Let's TRY this, but if it fails, here's the backup plan". Risky code is placed in the try block, and if an error occurs, the except block handles it.
As a simple example, what happens if you attempt to divide a number by 0?
