[PyKDE] Exceptions in callbacks

[Bruce Sass]

On 5 Feb 2001, Pete Ware wrote:
> Bruce Sass <bsass at freenet.edmonton.ab.ca> writes:
>
> > I think you will find the Python way more flexible once you get your
> > head around it.
> Yes, I understand that, and yes I wish I was good enough to anticipate
> all exceptions -- but I'm not.  Let me try again.  As a python
> programmer, one would expect the following to act as a fail safe, the
> world is going to hell so do something bit of code:
>
> 	try:
> 		app.exec_loop ()
> 	except:
> 		print 'Caught an exception!'
>
>
> where the "app.exec_loop()" is the PyQt event loop.  No matter what
> happens, the code "print 'Caught an exception!'" will never execute
> since exec_loop() catches _all_ Python exceptions.

Hmmm, I didn't know that.

> I understand (and agree) that this is desirable for most applications
> and I'm not asking to change that.  What I am looking for is a way to
> allow my code to execute when an (unanticipated) exception happens.

I agree with that last bit, there should be a way to catch an
unanticipated exception... I'm not sure why the discontinuity
between the code that prepares and starts the app and the code making
up the app is desirable, especially since...

> What I don't think is reasonable is that everywhere I create a push
> button, or a menu item, or a slider, or _any_ time I connect a
> qt.SIGNAL() with a callable that I should have to wrap exception
> handling code around that callable.  Note: I am not saying I don't
> catch errors in my code (callables).  What I am saying is that I catch
> the errors I expect but when an unexpected error occurs current
> PyQt behaviour is for the error to silently disappear (effectively
> since stdout is not visible).

...but, if Qt/PyQt does not have a hook into where you want, the only
solution may be to expect the unexpected.
try:
  ...
expect ThisError:
  ...
expect ThatError:
  ...
expect:
  print "Where did that come from!"
  print <a bunch of details>
  print "Please send in a bug report."


Sorry, I guess the only things I can think of amount to, 'change your
coding style for PyQt stuff'.  Maybe someone more familiar with the
Qt/PyQt internals can be of more help.


-- Bruce

-- 
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> #! /bin/env python
> #				-*- Python -*-
> import sys
> import qt
>
> class Test (qt.QFrame):
> 	def __init__ (self, parent = None, name = ''):
> 		qt.QFrame.__init__ (self, parent, name)
> 		top = qt.QPushButton ('Exception', self)
> 		top.setMinimumSize (top.sizeHint ())
> 		top.connect (top, qt.SIGNAL ('clicked()'), self.raise_exception)
>
> 	def raise_exception (self):
> 		raise 'An exception.  How can I catch this?'
>
> w = None
> def test ():
> 	global w
> 	app = qt.QApplication (sys.argv)
>
> 	w = Test (None, 'Table')
> 	app.setMainWidget (w)
> 	w.show ()
>
> 	return app
>
> if __name__ == '__main__':
> 	app = test ()
> 	try:
> 		app.exec_loop ()
> 	except:
> 		print 'Caught an exception!'
>