[Python-Dev] Breaking bug #411881 into manageable pieces (original) (raw)

Guido van Rossum guido@python.org
Thu, 21 Mar 2002 08🔞21 -0500

Why can't we simply change the default for bare except clauses?

Because there's too much code that depends on it.

I.e.

try: ... except: ... gets equivalent to try: ... except StandardError: ... To catch everything, write: try: ... except Exception: ...

Not all exception classes derive from Exception.

What about string exceptions?

Another good reason not to change the default. These won't be removed from the language until Python 3.0 -- there's simply too much legacy code that uses it. (We should try to issue warnings when a string exception is raised or tested for though starting in 2.3.)

--Guido van Rossum (home page: http://www.python.org/~guido/)