Page 202 - Beginning Programming with Pyth - John Paul Mueller

A compile time error occurs when you ask Python to run the application. Before Python can run the application, it must interpret the code and put it into a form that the computer can understand. A computer relies on machine code that is specific to that processor and architecture. If the instructions you write are malformed or lack needed information, Python can’t perform the required conversion. It presents an error that you must fix before the application can run.
Fortunately, compile-time errors are the easiest to spot and fix. Because the application won’t run with a compile-time error in place, user never sees this error category. You fix this sort of error as you write your code.
The appearance of a compile-time error should tell you that other typos or omissions could exist in the code. It always pays to check the surrounding code to ensure that no other potential problems exist that might not show up as part of the compile cycle.
Runtime
A runtime error occurs after Python compiles the code you write and the computer begins to execute it. Runtime errors come in several different types, and some are harder to find than others. You know you have a runtime error when the application suddenly stops running and displays an exception dialog box or when the user complains about erroneous output (or at least instability).
Not all runtime errors produce an exception. Some runtime errors cause instability (the application freezes), errant output, or data damage. Runtime errors can affect other applications or create unforeseen damage to the platform on which the application is running. In short, runtime errors can cause you quite a bit of grief, depending on precisely the kind of error you’re dealing with at the time.
Many runtime errors are caused by errant code. For example, you can misspell the name of a variable, preventing Python from placing information in the correct variable during execution. Leaving out an