else and finally in Exception Handling

else in try/except

elseelse runs only if no exception occurred.

try_else.py

try:
    x = int("42")
except ValueError:
    print("Invalid number")
else:
    print("Parsed successfully:", x)

try_else.py

try:
    x = int("42")
except ValueError:
    print("Invalid number")
else:
    print("Parsed successfully:", x)

finally in try/except

finallyfinally runs always (success or error). This is useful for cleanup.

try_finally.py

f = None
try:
    f = open("data.txt", "r")
    print(f.read())
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("File not found")
finally:
    if f is not None:
        f.close()
        print("File closed")

try_finally.py

f = None
try:
    f = open("data.txt", "r")
    print(f.read())
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("File not found")
finally:
    if f is not None:
        f.close()
        print("File closed")

Prefer context managers when possible

Instead of manual .close().close(), use withwith.

with_open.py

try:
    with open("data.txt", "r") as f:
        print(f.read())
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("File not found")

with_open.py

try:
    with open("data.txt", "r") as f:
        print(f.read())
except FileNotFoundError:
    print("File not found")

When is finally important?

closing files
releasing locks
closing DB connections
cleaning up temporary files

🧪 Try It Yourself

Exercise 1 – The else Clause

Exercise 2 – The finally Clause

Exercise 3 – else + finally Together

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