Python: How to catch this kind of exception?

Question

I'm making a program for AIX 5.3 in Python 2.6.1 that interfaces with an IMAP server. I'm getting an exception which I don't know how to catch - it doesn't seem to have a name that I can use with "except". The error seems to be some kind of timeout in the connection to the server.

The last part of the stack trace looks like this:

File "/home/chenf/python-2.6.1/lib/python2.6/imaplib.py", line 890, in _command_complete raise self.abort('command: %s => %s' % (name, val)) abort: command: SEARCH => socket error: EOF

I only want to catch this specific error, so that I can reconnect to the IMAP server when it happens. What's the syntax for catching this kind of exception?

mmmmmm · Accepted Answer · 2010-09-22 08:18:10Z

10

The exception is imaplib.IMAP4.abort (Python doc) so catching that should work

answered Sep 22, 2010 at 8:18

mmmmmm

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1 Comment

Enfors Over a year ago

Oh, I understand now. I thought self.abort() was a function (which confused me, how can you use a function as an exception?), but now I realise it's an exception! Thanks!

aaronasterling · Accepted Answer · 2010-09-22 09:34:53Z

3

you can try to catch it and find out the type:

import sys,traceback,pprint

try: do what you want to do except: type, value, tb = sys.exc_info() pprint.pprint(type) print("\n" + ''.join(traceback.format_exception(type, value, tb)).strip("\n"))

edited Sep 22, 2010 at 9:34

aaronasterling

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answered Sep 22, 2010 at 9:01

Daniel Lenkes

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4 Comments

shahjapan Over a year ago

-1, OP knows how to handle the exceptions, his problem was to know how to catch self.abort, and keep your answer formated, pasting code needs formating with code TAGs code

aaronasterling Over a year ago

I fixed your post. it's except:, not Exception. Other than that the code is as you wrote it and I just fixed the formatting. If you click 'edit', then you will be able to see how it works. Just start everything you want formatted four spaces to the right.

Daniel Lenkes Over a year ago

@shahjapan, that is ok that he knows hoe to catch exception, but if he does not know how to check its type, this is a way. That's why I sent the code.

Mark Lakata Over a year ago

This is useful. The standard except message does not show the full class name of the exception, but the print(type) in this example does show the type. In my case, the exception was displayed as "error" but the actual exception was "socket.error". Catching "error" didn't do anything!

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