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Errors & debugging

Handle failures gracefully, raise helpful errors, and debug with confidence.

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Errors & debugging easy

How to Use a Fallback Path with FileNotFoundError in Python

Read a primary file and fall back to a backup file when the first is missing, returning an empty string if both fail.

filenotfounderror exceptions fallback
Python 
import pathlib

def read_config(path):
    primary = pathlib.Path(path)
    fallback = pathlib.Path("config_backup.json")
    try:
        with primary.open("r") as f:
            return f.read()
    except FileNotFoundError:
        try:
            with fallback.open("r") as f:
                return f.read()
      …
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