Python os.strerror() Method

Musfirah Waseem Jan 30, 2023
  1. Syntax of Python os.strerror() Method
  2. Example 1: Use the os.strerror() Method in Python
  3. Example 2: Use the os.strerror() Method to Print First 20 Errors
  4. Example 3: Use the os.strerror() Method to Check for an Invalid Error Code
Python os.strerror() Method

Python os.strerror() method is an efficient way of getting an error message corresponding to the input error code. An OSError exception is raised when an invalid, or inaccessible file path is accessed or the specific operating system does not accept the arguments.

Syntax of Python os.strerror() Method

os.strerror(code)

Parameters

code An integer value representing an error code.

Return

The return type of this method is a string representing an error message corresponding to the input error code.

Example 1: Use the os.strerror() Method in Python

import os

error_code = 1

error = os.strerror(error_code)

print(
    "The error message corresponding to the input error code % d is:" % error_code,
    error,
)

error_code = 5

error = os.strerror(error_code)

print(
    "The error message corresponding to the input error code % d is:" % error_code,
    error,
)

Output:

The error message corresponding to the input error code  1 is: Operation not permitted
The error message corresponding to the input error code  5 is: Input/output error

This method is useful when an error code is shown as output, and you need to figure out what the error is related to.

Example 2: Use the os.strerror() Method to Print First 20 Errors

import os

error_num = 20

for i in range(1, error_num + 1):

    error = os.strerror(i)

    print("The error message corresponding to the input error code % d is:" % i, error)

Output:

The error message corresponding to the input error code  1 is: Operation not permitted
The error message corresponding to the input error code  2 is: No such file or directory
The error message corresponding to the input error code  3 is: No such process
The error message corresponding to the input error code  4 is: Interrupted system call
The error message corresponding to the input error code  5 is: Input/output error
The error message corresponding to the input error code  6 is: No such device or address
The error message corresponding to the input error code  7 is: Argument list too long
The error message corresponding to the input error code  8 is: Exec format error
The error message corresponding to the input error code  9 is: Bad file descriptor
The error message corresponding to the input error code  10 is: No child processes
The error message corresponding to the input error code  11 is: Resource temporarily unavailable
The error message corresponding to the input error code  12 is: Cannot allocate memory
The error message corresponding to the input error code  13 is: Permission denied
The error message corresponding to the input error code  14 is: Bad address
The error message corresponding to the input error code  15 is: Block device required
The error message corresponding to the input error code  16 is: Device or resource busy
The error message corresponding to the input error code  17 is: File exists
The error message corresponding to the input error code  18 is: Invalid cross-device link
The error message corresponding to the input error code  19 is: No such device
The error message corresponding to the input error code  20 is: Not a directory

The range of valid error codes might depend on the OS being used.

Example 3: Use the os.strerror() Method to Check for an Invalid Error Code

import os

error_code = 200

error = os.strerror(error_code)

print("Error message corresponding to error code % d:" % error_code, error)

error_code = 300

error = os.strerror(error_code)

print("Error message corresponding to error code % d:" % error_code, error)

Output:

Error message corresponding to error code  200: Unknown error 200
Error message corresponding to error code  300: Unknown error 300

On some platforms, strerror() might return NULL when we input an unknown error code.

Musfirah Waseem avatar Musfirah Waseem avatar

Musfirah is a student of computer science from the best university in Pakistan. She has a knack for programming and everything related. She is a tech geek who loves to help people as much as possible.

LinkedIn

Related Article - Python OS