Metadata

ID: python-best-practices/assertraises-specific-exception

Language: Python

Severity: Warning

Category: Error Prone

Description

When checking an exception, check for a specific exception. Checking for Exception may bypass the verification of the correct behavior of the program.

Using a generic exception is error-prone and give a false sense of correctness. Instead, use the correct exception to check against.

Non-Compliant Code Examples

self.assertRaises(Exception, foo)  # check a specific Exception, not a generic one

Compliant Code Examples

self.assertRaises(ValueError, foo)