performance - Is it better to use an exception or a return code in Python?

Question

You may know this recommendation from Microsoft about the use of exceptions in .NET:

Performance Considerations

...

Throw exceptions only for extraordinary conditions, ...

In addition, do not throw an exception when a return code is sufficient...

(See the whole text at http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/system.exception.aspx.)

As a point of comparison, would you recommend the same for Python code?

Answer 1

The pythonic thing to do is to raise and handle exceptions. The excellent book "Python in a nutshell" discusses this in 'Error-Checking Strategies' in Chapter 6.

The book discusses EAFP ("it's easier to ask forgiveness than permission") vs. LBYL ("look before you leap").

So to answer your question:

No, I would not recommend the same for python code. I suggest you read chapter 6 of Python in a nutshell.