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Digital · Guided lesson

Test exceptions and invalid inputs

About 19 minutes · 4 reading + 15 practice and checks
Time includes reading, practice, and questions. Extra videos or further study are optional.
See this course’s project requirements

A runnable automated test suite for an original parcel-price module with boundary cases, isolated fixtures, failure evidence and a repaired regression.

Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.

What to include

  • A price assertion table with independent expected values.
  • An executable unit-test record with independent cases.
  • A labeled boundary-test table across both price tiers.
  • A rejection suite with a passing valid boundary comparison.
  • An isolated file test with declared automatic cleanup.
  • A failing-then-passing regression record with source and run instructions.

Review and revise

Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.

  • The implementation or declared simulation follows the supplied contract and retains inspectable original inputs.
  • Normal, boundary and rejected cases are recorded with expected versus observed results.
  • The changed case has a correct explanation and does not rely on hidden state.
  • The project includes source, outputs, instructions and honest tool, privacy and verification limits.
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Before you begin

The idea in everyday life

Invalid inputs include 0, -1, 5.01, string "1", Boolean True and the nonfinite float values NaN and positive/negative infinity. Valid 5 must not be rejected. The range test not 0 < weight <= 5 rejects NaN because its ordered comparisons are false.

The idea

An exception test asserts a particular rejected behavior. Do not catch any exception and call it a pass: an unrelated syntax or file error does not prove that validation followed its rule.

Follow along

Test exceptions and invalid inputs — original worked practice

An exception test asserts a particular rejected behavior. Do not catch any exception and call it a pass: an unrelated syntax or file error does not prove that validation followed its rule.

Invalid inputs include 0, -1, 5.01, string "1", Boolean True and the nonfinite float values NaN and positive/negative infinity. Valid 5 must not be rejected. The range test not 0 < weight <= 5 rejects NaN because its ordered comparisons are false.

  1. 1. Step 1

    Use assertRaises(ValueError) for 0.

    You should see: The declared validation exception is required.

    This keeps the rule and its observable result together.

  2. 2. Step 2

    Add negative, over-limit and nonfinite weights: -1, 5.01, float("nan"), float("inf") and float("-inf"). Check the separate test_nonfinite method.

    You should see: All are rejected with ValueError: nonfinite values do not fit 0 < weight <= 5.

    This keeps the rule and its observable result together.

  3. 3. Step 3

    Test string and Boolean types separately.

    You should see: Both are rejected despite looking numeric.

    This keeps the rule and its observable result together.

  4. 4. Step 4

    Run valid 5 beside invalid 5.01.

    You should see: A rejection suite with a passing valid boundary comparison.

    This keeps the rule and its observable result together.

Now change one thing

Change the type case from Boolean True to the real float 2.0, keeping the inclusive positive range unchanged. Run parcel_fee(2.0) in a copy. Enter accept or reject.

Your work

What to finish

A rejection suite with a passing valid boundary comparison.

Common mistake

Watch for this

Accepting a numeric-looking string or Boolean even though the function contract requires a real numeric value.

How can I tell I understand it?

Explain and demonstrate the required distinction: An exception test asserts a particular rejected behavior. Do not catch any exception and call it a pass: an unrelated syntax or file error does not prove that validation followed its rule. Show a changed input and the expected result without weakening this contract.

Try 3 questions

Quick knowledge check

Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.

Not yet passed

You’ll get an explanation for each answer. Signed in? Your results save to your account.

1Why test True separately?
2Which assertion matches the declared invalid behavior?
3Why include a valid boundary alongside invalid cases?
0 of 3 answeredApply the lesson to a short question, then review the explanation.
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Finish this lesson

Pass the check. We’ll save the progress.

Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.

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Sources and further reading

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docs.python.org — unittest.html
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Relevant documented module/API behavior inspected during expansion authoring; actual execution evidence is recorded separately. No grant eligibility is established.

Access: Official page retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01. Documentation reading does not certify execution in every native tool or browser.

Reuse: Original local practice files, fictional data, worked examples and questions. Concepts paraphrased and linked; source exercises are not copied.

Python built-in exceptions — ValueError
Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-01

Relevant documented module/API behavior inspected during expansion authoring; actual execution evidence is recorded separately. No grant eligibility is established.

Access: Official page retrieved with the web reader on 2026-10-01. Documentation reading does not certify execution in every native tool or browser.

Reuse: Original local practice files, fictional data, worked examples and questions. Concepts paraphrased and linked; source exercises are not copied.

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