Searching for equivalent of FileNotFoundError in Python 2
Question:
I created a class named Options. It works fine but not not with Python 2.
And I want it to work on both Python 2 and 3.
The problem is identified: FileNotFoundError doesn t exist in Python 2.
But if I use IOError it doesn t work in Python 3
Changed in version 3.3: EnvironmentError, IOError, WindowsError, VMSError, socket.error, select.error and mmap.error have been merged into OSError.
What should I do ???(Please do not discuss my choice of portability, I have reasons.)
Here s the code:
#!/usr/bin/python
#-*-coding:utf-8*
#option_controller.py
#Walle Cyril
#25/01/2014
import json
import os
class Options():
"""Options is a class designed to read, add and change informations in a JSON file with a dictionnary in it.
The entire object works even if the file is missing since it re-creates it.
If present it must respect the JSON format: e.g. keys must be strings and so on.
If something corrupted the file, just destroy the file or call read_file method to remake it."""
def __init__(self,directory_name="Cache",file_name="options.json",imported_default_values=None):
#json file
self.option_file_path=os.path.join(directory_name,file_name)
self.directory_name=directory_name
self.file_name=file_name
#self.parameters_json_file={'sort_keys':True, 'indent':4, 'separators':(',',':')}
#the default data
if imported_default_values is None:
DEFAULT_INDENT = 2
self.default_values={
"translate_html_level": 1,
"indent_size":DEFAULT_INDENT,
"document_title":"Titre"}
else:
self.default_values=imported_default_values
def read_file(self,read_this_key_only=False):
"""returns the value for the given key or a dictionary if the key is not given.
returns None if it s impossible"""
try:
text_in_file=open(self.option_file_path,'r').read()
except FileNotFoundError:#not 2.X compatible
text_in_file=""#if the file is not there we re-make one with default values
if text_in_file=="":#same if the file is empty
self.__insert_all_default_values()
text_in_file=open(self.option_file_path,'r').read()
try:
option_dict=json.loads(text_in_file)
except ValueError:
#if the json file is broken we re-make one with default values
self.__insert_all_default_values()
text_in_file=open(self.option_file_path,'r').read()
option_dict=json.loads(text_in_file)
if read_this_key_only:
if read_this_key_only in option_dict:
return option_dict[read_this_key_only]#
else:
#if the value is not there it should be written for the next time
if read_this_key_only in self.default_values:
self.add_option_to_file(read_this_key_only,self.default_values[read_this_key_only])
return self.default_values[read_this_key_only]
else:
#impossible because there is not default value so the value isn t meant to be here
return None
else:
return option_dict
def add_option_to_file(self,key,value):#or update
"""Adds or updates an option(key and value) to the json file if the option exists in the default_values of the object."""
option_dict=self.read_file()
if key in self.default_values:
option_dict[key]=value
open(self.option_file_path,'w').write(
json.dumps(option_dict,sort_keys=True, indent=4, separators=(',',':')))
def __insert_all_default_values(self):
"""Recreate json file with default values.
called if the document is empty or non-existing or corrupted."""
try:
open(self.option_file_path,'w').write(
json.dumps(self.default_values,sort_keys=True, indent=4, separators=(',',':')))
except FileNotFoundError:
os.mkdir(self.directory_name)#Create the directory
if os.path.isdir(self.directory_name):#succes
self.__insert_all_default_values()
else:
print("Impossible to write in %s and file %s not found" % (os.getcwd(),self.option_file_path))
#demo
if __name__ == '__main__':
option_file_object=Options()
print(option_file_object.__doc__)
print(option_file_object.read_file())
option_file_object.add_option_to_file("","test")#this should have no effect
option_file_object.add_option_to_file("translate_html_level","0")#this should have an effect
print("value of translate_html_level:",option_file_object.read_file("translate_html_level"))
print(option_file_object.read_file())
Answers:
You can use the base class exception EnvironmentError and use the ‘errno’ attribute to figure out which exception was raised:
from __future__ import print_function
import os
import errno
try:
open('no file of this name') # generate 'file not found error'
except EnvironmentError as e: # OSError or IOError...
print(os.strerror(e.errno))
Or just use IOError in the same way:
try:
open('/Users/test/Documents/test') # will be a permission error
except IOError as e:
print(os.strerror(e.errno))
That works on Python 2 or Python 3.
Be careful not to compare against number values directly, because they can be different on different platforms. Instead, use the named constants in Python’s standard library errno module which will use the correct values for the run-time platform.
If FileNotFoundError isn’t there, define it:
try:
FileNotFoundError
except NameError:
FileNotFoundError = IOError
Now you can catch FileNotFoundError in Python 2 since it’s really IOError.
Be careful though, IOError has other meanings. In particular, any message should probably say “file could not be read” rather than “file not found.”
For what it’s worth, although the IOError is hardly mentioned in Python 3’s official document and does not even showed up in its official Exception hierarchy, it is still there, and it is the parent class of FileNotFoundError in Python 3. See python3 -c "print(isinstance(FileNotFoundError(), IOError))" giving you a True. Therefore, you can technically write your code in this way, which works for both Python 2 and Python 3.
try:
content = open("somefile.txt").read()
except IOError: # Works in both Python 2 & 3
print("Oops, we can not read this file")
It might be “good enough” in many cases. Although in general, it is not recommended to rely on an undocumented behavior. So, I’m not really suggesting this approach. I personally use Kindall’s answer.
The Python 2 / 3 compatible way to except a FileNotFoundError is this:
import errno
try:
with open('some_file_that_does_not_exist', 'r'):
pass
except EnvironmentError as e:
if e.errno != errno.ENOENT:
raise
Other answers are close, but don’t re-raise if the error number doesn’t match.
Using IOError is fine for most cases, but for some reason os.listdir() and friends raise OSError instead on Python 2. Since IOError inherits from OSError it’s fine to just always catch OSError and check the error number.
Edit: The previous sentence is only true on Python 3. To be cross compatible, instead catch EnvironmentError and check the error number.
I created a class named Options. It works fine but not not with Python 2.
And I want it to work on both Python 2 and 3.
The problem is identified: FileNotFoundError doesn t exist in Python 2.
But if I use IOError it doesn t work in Python 3
Changed in version 3.3: EnvironmentError, IOError, WindowsError, VMSError, socket.error, select.error and mmap.error have been merged into OSError.
What should I do ???(Please do not discuss my choice of portability, I have reasons.)
Here s the code:
#!/usr/bin/python
#-*-coding:utf-8*
#option_controller.py
#Walle Cyril
#25/01/2014
import json
import os
class Options():
"""Options is a class designed to read, add and change informations in a JSON file with a dictionnary in it.
The entire object works even if the file is missing since it re-creates it.
If present it must respect the JSON format: e.g. keys must be strings and so on.
If something corrupted the file, just destroy the file or call read_file method to remake it."""
def __init__(self,directory_name="Cache",file_name="options.json",imported_default_values=None):
#json file
self.option_file_path=os.path.join(directory_name,file_name)
self.directory_name=directory_name
self.file_name=file_name
#self.parameters_json_file={'sort_keys':True, 'indent':4, 'separators':(',',':')}
#the default data
if imported_default_values is None:
DEFAULT_INDENT = 2
self.default_values={
"translate_html_level": 1,
"indent_size":DEFAULT_INDENT,
"document_title":"Titre"}
else:
self.default_values=imported_default_values
def read_file(self,read_this_key_only=False):
"""returns the value for the given key or a dictionary if the key is not given.
returns None if it s impossible"""
try:
text_in_file=open(self.option_file_path,'r').read()
except FileNotFoundError:#not 2.X compatible
text_in_file=""#if the file is not there we re-make one with default values
if text_in_file=="":#same if the file is empty
self.__insert_all_default_values()
text_in_file=open(self.option_file_path,'r').read()
try:
option_dict=json.loads(text_in_file)
except ValueError:
#if the json file is broken we re-make one with default values
self.__insert_all_default_values()
text_in_file=open(self.option_file_path,'r').read()
option_dict=json.loads(text_in_file)
if read_this_key_only:
if read_this_key_only in option_dict:
return option_dict[read_this_key_only]#
else:
#if the value is not there it should be written for the next time
if read_this_key_only in self.default_values:
self.add_option_to_file(read_this_key_only,self.default_values[read_this_key_only])
return self.default_values[read_this_key_only]
else:
#impossible because there is not default value so the value isn t meant to be here
return None
else:
return option_dict
def add_option_to_file(self,key,value):#or update
"""Adds or updates an option(key and value) to the json file if the option exists in the default_values of the object."""
option_dict=self.read_file()
if key in self.default_values:
option_dict[key]=value
open(self.option_file_path,'w').write(
json.dumps(option_dict,sort_keys=True, indent=4, separators=(',',':')))
def __insert_all_default_values(self):
"""Recreate json file with default values.
called if the document is empty or non-existing or corrupted."""
try:
open(self.option_file_path,'w').write(
json.dumps(self.default_values,sort_keys=True, indent=4, separators=(',',':')))
except FileNotFoundError:
os.mkdir(self.directory_name)#Create the directory
if os.path.isdir(self.directory_name):#succes
self.__insert_all_default_values()
else:
print("Impossible to write in %s and file %s not found" % (os.getcwd(),self.option_file_path))
#demo
if __name__ == '__main__':
option_file_object=Options()
print(option_file_object.__doc__)
print(option_file_object.read_file())
option_file_object.add_option_to_file("","test")#this should have no effect
option_file_object.add_option_to_file("translate_html_level","0")#this should have an effect
print("value of translate_html_level:",option_file_object.read_file("translate_html_level"))
print(option_file_object.read_file())
You can use the base class exception EnvironmentError and use the ‘errno’ attribute to figure out which exception was raised:
from __future__ import print_function
import os
import errno
try:
open('no file of this name') # generate 'file not found error'
except EnvironmentError as e: # OSError or IOError...
print(os.strerror(e.errno))
Or just use IOError in the same way:
try:
open('/Users/test/Documents/test') # will be a permission error
except IOError as e:
print(os.strerror(e.errno))
That works on Python 2 or Python 3.
Be careful not to compare against number values directly, because they can be different on different platforms. Instead, use the named constants in Python’s standard library errno module which will use the correct values for the run-time platform.
If FileNotFoundError isn’t there, define it:
try:
FileNotFoundError
except NameError:
FileNotFoundError = IOError
Now you can catch FileNotFoundError in Python 2 since it’s really IOError.
Be careful though, IOError has other meanings. In particular, any message should probably say “file could not be read” rather than “file not found.”
For what it’s worth, although the IOError is hardly mentioned in Python 3’s official document and does not even showed up in its official Exception hierarchy, it is still there, and it is the parent class of FileNotFoundError in Python 3. See python3 -c "print(isinstance(FileNotFoundError(), IOError))" giving you a True. Therefore, you can technically write your code in this way, which works for both Python 2 and Python 3.
try:
content = open("somefile.txt").read()
except IOError: # Works in both Python 2 & 3
print("Oops, we can not read this file")
It might be “good enough” in many cases. Although in general, it is not recommended to rely on an undocumented behavior. So, I’m not really suggesting this approach. I personally use Kindall’s answer.
The Python 2 / 3 compatible way to except a FileNotFoundError is this:
import errno
try:
with open('some_file_that_does_not_exist', 'r'):
pass
except EnvironmentError as e:
if e.errno != errno.ENOENT:
raise
Other answers are close, but don’t re-raise if the error number doesn’t match.
Using IOError is fine for most cases, but for some reason os.listdir() and friends raise OSError instead on Python 2. Since IOError inherits from OSError it’s fine to just always catch OSError and check the error number.
Edit: The previous sentence is only true on Python 3. To be cross compatible, instead catch EnvironmentError and check the error number.