How to get exception message in Python properly

Question

What is the best way to get exceptions\' messages from components of standard library in Python?

I noticed that in some cases you can get it via message

Answer 1

To improve on the answer provided by @artofwarfare, here is what I consider a neater way to check for the message attribute and print it or print the Exception object as a fallback.

try:
    pass 
except Exception as e:
    print getattr(e, 'message', repr(e))

The call to repr is optional, but I find it necessary in some use cases.

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Update #1:

Following the comment by @MadPhysicist, here's a proof of why the call to repr might be necessary. Try running the following code in your interpreter:

try:
    raise Exception 
except Exception as e:
    print(getattr(e, 'message', repr(e)))
    print(getattr(e, 'message', str(e)))

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Update #2:

Here is a demo with specifics for Python 2.7 and 3.5: https://gist.github.com/takwas/3b7a6effffdef783f2abddffda1439f533