Got it, let's build this function properly using the py_compile module as you suggested. This approach is perfect because it checks the syntax without actually executing the code, which is exactly what we need.

Here's a complete, working implementation with explanations:

import py_compile
from py_compile import PyCompileError

def check_python_syntax(filename):
    try:
        # Compile the file with doraise=True to trigger exceptions on syntax errors
        py_compile.compile(filename, doraise=True)
        # Optional: Print a success message if you want confirmation
        print(f"{filename} contains valid Python syntax.")
    except PyCompileError:
        # Print the required error message when syntax is invalid
        print(f"{filename} does not contain syntactically correct Python code")

Key Details: #

• doraise=True: This parameter is critical. By default, py_compile.compile() would just write error details to a .pyc file instead of raising an exception. Setting doraise=True makes it throw a PyCompileError when syntax issues are found, which we can catch and handle.
• Exception Handling: We specifically catch PyCompileError (imported directly for clarity) to target only syntax-related errors, rather than general exceptions.
• No Execution: This method only validates the syntax of the code—it won't catch logical errors, undefined variables, or runtime issues.

Example Usage: #

If you want to test the function directly, add this at the bottom of your script:

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Replace "your_file.py" with the path to your target file
    check_python_syntax("your_file.py")

This should work exactly as you need it—letting you know immediately if the file has invalid Python syntax.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者David