[Python-Dev] Add more SyntaxWarnings?

MRAB python at mrabarnett.plus.com
Wed Jan 30 14:33:05 EST 2019


On 2019-01-30 18:12, Stefan Behnel wrote:
> MRAB schrieb am 29.01.19 um 19:55:
>> On 2019-01-29 13:44, Nick Coghlan wrote:
>>> FWIW, we have pretty decent evidence that error messages don't have to
>>> provide a wonderful explanation on their own in order to be helpful:
>>> they just need to be distinctive enough that a web search will
>>> reliably get you to a page that gives you relevant information.
>>>
>>> Pre-seeded answers on Stack Overflow are excellent for handling the
>>> second half of that approach (see [1] for a specific example).
>>> [1]
>>> https://stackoverflow.com/questions/25445439/what-does-syntaxerror-missing-parentheses-in-call-to-print-mean-in-python
>> 
>> I have a vague recollection that a certain computer system (Amiga?) had a
>> 'why' command. If it reported an error, you could type "why" and it would
>> give you more details.
>> 
>> I suspect that all that was happening was that when the error occurred it
>> would store the additional details somewhere that the 'why' command would
>> simply retrieve.
> 
> So … are you suggesting to use the webbrowser module inside of the REPL to
> look up the exception message of the previously printed stack trace in
> stack overflow when a user types "why()"?
> 
No, I was just suggesting it as a possible way of providing newbies with 
more information about an error without annoying more experienced users 
with excessively long messages every time.

> I faintly recall someone implementing something in that direction. It's
> probably in some package on PyPI.
> 


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