[Tutor] Try except really better than if?

[ALAN GAULD]

By the way I have this piece of code using elementTree standard     module 
>and according to Alan this is bad code I guess: 
>
>
Which just proves there are no absolute rules in programming :-)

try: devdb.setDescription(dev.attrib['description'])
>except KeyError: pass
>try: devdb.setSymbolName(dev.attrib['symbolName'])
>except KeyError: pass
>try: 
devdb.setSymbolPinOrderMappingList(dev.attrib['symbolPinOrderMappingList'])
>except KeyError: pass
>try: devdb.setLayoutName(dev.attrib['layoutName'])
>except KeyError: pass
>try: devdb.setLayoutType(dev.attrib['layoutType'])
>except KeyError: pass
>Since you just use pass to ignore the error then you are kind 
of forced to do it this way. Its not bad each statement has to 
be treated individually, it is not a block where all the statements 
must pass or fail as a unit.

> Do you have an alternative or my way is ok?

This would also be a valid case for an if/else check but 
in readability terms I think try/except still wins because 
the handler is only a pass. If it were more complex I'd 
probably opt for if/else.


I know there is no special case which is enough special to break the     rule 
;o)
>I'm not sure I agree. In programming you can usually find a special case 
that validly breaks any "rule"! Even "Don't use goto!" :-)

HTH,

Alan G.
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