Implement specific exception handling and defensive programming practices to prevent generic errors from masking real issues and provide graceful degradation when operations fail.
Key principles:
Exception
to avoid hiding legitimate errorsExample of problematic generic exception handling:
try:
ctnr.kill()
except Exception: # Too broad - hides real issues
pass
Better approach with specific exception handling:
try:
ctnr.kill()
except docker.errors.APIError: # Specific to expected failure
log.warning(f"Failed to kill container {ctnr.name}")
Example of defensive programming:
# Check before accessing to prevent IndexError
containers = project.up(service_names=[service.name])
matching_containers = [c for c in containers if c.service == service.name]
if not matching_containers:
raise OperationFailedError("Could not bring up the requested service")
container = matching_containers[0]
This approach ensures errors are handled appropriately without masking underlying issues, while providing users with meaningful feedback when operations fail.
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