Python Exception Handling

@amitmund June 17, 2026

Introduction

While writing programs, errors are unavoidable.

Examples:

User enters text instead of a number.
File does not exist.
Division by zero occurs.
Wrong variable name is used.

If errors are not handled properly, the program crashes.

Exception Handling allows us to:

Prevent program crashes
Display meaningful error messages
Continue program execution
Build reliable applications

What is an Error?

An error is a problem that causes a program to behave unexpectedly or stop execution.

Example:

print(10 / 0)

Output:

ZeroDivisionError: division by zero

Types of Errors

Python errors are generally divided into:

1. Syntax Errors
2. Runtime Errors (Exceptions)
3. Logical Errors

Syntax Errors

These occur when Python cannot understand the code.

Example

if True
    print("Hello")

Output:

SyntaxError

Correct

if True:
    print("Hello")

Runtime Errors (Exceptions)

These occur while the program is running.

Example

number = int("abc")

Output:

ValueError

Python understood the code.

The error happened during execution.

Logical Errors

Program runs successfully but produces wrong results.

Example

length = 10
width = 5

area = length + width

print(area)

Output:

Correct answer should be:

Program runs but logic is wrong.

What is an Exception?

An exception is a runtime error that interrupts program execution.

Example:

print(10 / 0)

Output:

ZeroDivisionError

Common Python Exceptions

Exception	Cause
ZeroDivisionError	Divide by zero
ValueError	Invalid value
TypeError	Wrong data type
NameError	Variable not found
IndexError	Invalid index
KeyError	Invalid dictionary key
AttributeError	Invalid attribute
FileNotFoundError	File not found
ImportError	Module import problem

Python Errors and Exceptions Cheat Sheet

Error / Exception	Meaning	Example
SyntaxError	Invalid Python syntax	Missing `:`
IndentationError	Wrong indentation	Misaligned code block
TabError	Mixing tabs and spaces	Tabs + spaces together
NameError	Variable not defined	`print(x)` when x doesn't exist
TypeError	Invalid operation between data types	`"5" + 5`
ValueError	Correct type but invalid value	`int("abc")`
ZeroDivisionError	Division by zero	`10 / 0`
IndexError	Invalid list/tuple index	`mylist[10]`
KeyError	Dictionary key not found	`data["age"]`
AttributeError	Object doesn't have attribute/method	`"abc".append()`
ImportError	Import failed	Import unavailable object
ModuleNotFoundError	Module doesn't exist	`import xyz`
FileNotFoundError	File doesn't exist	`open("abc.txt")`
PermissionError	Permission denied	Writing protected file
IsADirectoryError	File operation on directory	`open("folder")`
NotADirectoryError	Directory operation on file	Wrong path usage
EOFError	Input unexpectedly ends	`input()` reaches EOF
KeyboardInterrupt	User pressed Ctrl+C	Program interrupted
AssertionError	Assertion failed	`assert age > 18`
RuntimeError	Generic runtime problem	Framework-specific issues
RecursionError	Maximum recursion depth reached	Infinite recursion
OverflowError	Number too large	Huge math operations
MemoryError	Out of memory	Massive data allocation
FloatingPointError	Floating-point calculation issue	Rare numerical errors
ArithmeticError	Base class for arithmetic errors	Parent exception
LookupError	Base class for index/key errors	Parent exception
OSError	Operating system related error	File/system problem
TimeoutError	Operation timed out	Network timeout
ConnectionError	Network connection issue	Server unreachable
BrokenPipeError	Writing to closed pipe	IPC/network issue
ReferenceError	Weak reference no longer exists	Advanced Python usage
StopIteration	Iterator exhausted	`next()` after end
GeneratorExit	Generator closed	Generator cleanup
SystemExit	Program exits	`sys.exit()`
UnicodeError	Unicode conversion issue	Encoding/decoding error
UnicodeEncodeError	Encoding failed	Unicode → bytes
UnicodeDecodeError	Decoding failed	Bytes → Unicode
UnicodeTranslateError	Translation failed	Character translation
UnboundLocalError	Local variable used before assignment	Global/local confusion
BufferError	Buffer operation failed	Memory buffer issues
ChildProcessError	Child process problem	Multiprocessing issues
InterruptedError	System call interrupted	OS signal interruption
ProcessLookupError	Process not found	Invalid PID

What is Exception Handling?

Exception handling means catching errors and responding gracefully instead of crashing.

Without Exception Handling

num = int(input("Enter Number: "))

result = 100 / num

print(result)

Input:

Output:

ZeroDivisionError

Program stops.

With Exception Handling

try:

    num = int(input("Enter Number: "))

    result = 100 / num

    print(result)

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Cannot divide by zero")

Output:

Cannot divide by zero

Program continues safely.

Try and Except Statement

Syntax

try:

    risky code

except ExceptionType:

    handling code

Flow Diagram

Try Block
     |
     |
No Error?
     |
   Yes
     |
Continue
     |
     |
     No
     |
Exception Occurs
     |
Except Block Executes

Example

try:

    number = int(input("Enter Number:"))

    print(100 / number)

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Division by zero is not allowed")

Example: ValueError

try:

    age = int(input("Enter Age:"))

except ValueError:

    print("Please enter numbers only")

Input:

abc

Output:

Please enter numbers only

Handling Multiple Exceptions

Sometimes multiple exceptions can occur.

Example

try:

    number = int(input("Enter Number:"))

    result = 100 / number

    print(result)

except ValueError:

    print("Invalid number")

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Cannot divide by zero")

Input Examples

Input:

abc

Output:

Invalid number

Input:

Output:

Cannot divide by zero

Multiple Exceptions in One Block

Python allows grouping exceptions.

Example

try:

    number = int(input("Enter Number:"))

    result = 100 / number

except (ValueError, ZeroDivisionError):

    print("Invalid Input")

Catching Any Exception

Use:

except Exception:

Example

try:

    value = int(input())

    print(10 / value)

except Exception:

    print("Something went wrong")

⚠ Use carefully.

It can hide useful debugging information.

Exception Object

You can capture the actual error message.

Example

try:

    value = int(input())

except Exception as error:

    print(error)

Input:

abc

Output:

invalid literal for int()

Example

try:

    print(10 / 0)

except Exception as error:

    print("Error:", error)

Output:

Error: division by zero

else Block

Runs only when no exception occurs.

Syntax

try:

    code

except:

    handling

else:

    success code

Example

try:

    num = int(input())

    result = 100 / num

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Cannot divide by zero")

else:

    print("Result =", result)

Input:

Output:

Result = 20.0

finally Block

Runs whether an exception occurs or not.

Useful for cleanup operations.

Syntax

try:

    code

except:

    handling

finally:

    cleanup

Example

try:

    print(10 / 2)

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Error")

finally:

    print("Finished")

Output:

5.0
Finished

Example with Error

try:

    print(10 / 0)

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Division Error")

finally:

    print("Finished")

Output:

Division Error
Finished

Complete Exception Structure

try:

    code

except:

    handling

else:

    success

finally:

    cleanup

Visual Flow

Try
 |
 |--Error?
 |     |
 |    Yes
 |     |
 |  Except
 |
 | No
 |
Else
 |
Finally

Raising Exceptions

Python allows us to generate exceptions manually.

Use:

raise

Example

age = -5

if age < 0:

    raise ValueError("Age cannot be negative")

Output:

ValueError: Age cannot be negative

Why Raise Exceptions?

To enforce rules.

Examples:

Negative age not allowed
Invalid salary
Invalid username
Invalid marks

Writing Your Own Exception

Python allows creating custom exceptions.

Why Create Custom Exceptions?

Built-in exceptions may not fully describe your problem.

Example:

Bank Account Error
Employee Error
Student Error
Inventory Error

Custom exceptions make programs clearer.

Creating Custom Exception

A custom exception must inherit from:

Exception

Example

class InvalidAgeError(Exception):
    pass

Custom exception created.

Using Custom Exception

class InvalidAgeError(Exception):
    pass

age = -10

if age < 0:

    raise InvalidAgeError("Age cannot be negative")

Output:

InvalidAgeError

Example with try-except

class InvalidAgeError(Exception):
    pass

try:

    age = -5

    if age < 0:

        raise InvalidAgeError(
            "Negative age not allowed"
        )

except InvalidAgeError as error:

    print(error)

Output:

Negative age not allowed

Bank Example

class InsufficientBalanceError(Exception):
    pass

balance = 1000

withdraw = 5000

if withdraw > balance:

    raise InsufficientBalanceError(
        "Not enough balance"
    )

Complete Example

class InsufficientBalanceError(Exception):
    pass

try:

    balance = 1000

    withdraw = 5000

    if withdraw > balance:

        raise InsufficientBalanceError(
            "Insufficient Balance"
        )

except InsufficientBalanceError as error:

    print(error)

Output:

Insufficient Balance

Common Exception Handling Mistakes

Mistake 1

Using Bare Except

❌ Wrong

try:
    value = int(input())

except:
    print("Error")

✅ Better

except ValueError:

Mistake 2

Wrong Exception Type

❌ Wrong

try:
    print(10 / 0)

except ValueError:
    print("Error")

Output:

Program crashes

✅ Correct

except ZeroDivisionError:

Mistake 3

Ignoring Error Message

❌ Bad

except Exception:
    pass

Error becomes invisible.

Mistake 4

Putting Too Much Code in try Block

❌ Bad

try:

    100 lines of code

except:

Hard to debug.

✅ Better

Keep try block small.

Mistake 5

Forgetting Exception Inheritance

❌ Wrong

class MyError:
    pass

✅ Correct

class MyError(Exception):
    pass

Best Practices

Catch Specific Exceptions

Good:

except ValueError:

Better than:

except Exception:

Use finally for Cleanup

Example:

finally:
    file.close()

Use Custom Exceptions

Useful for:

Banking
Inventory
Employee Management
Student Systems

Write Meaningful Messages

Good:

raise ValueError(
    "Age cannot be negative"
)

Not:

raise ValueError("Error")

Homework 1

Handle division by zero.

Solution

try:

    print(10 / 0)

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Cannot divide by zero")

Homework 2

Handle invalid integer input.

Solution

try:

    age = int(input())

except ValueError:

    print("Numbers only")

Homework 3

Handle both ValueError and ZeroDivisionError.

Solution

try:

    num = int(input())

    print(100 / num)

except ValueError:

    print("Invalid Number")

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Cannot divide by zero")

Homework 4

Use else block.

Solution

try:

    number = 10

except Exception:

    print("Error")

else:

    print("Success")

Homework 5

Use finally block.

Solution

try:

    print("Working")

finally:

    print("Cleanup")

Homework 6

Create InvalidAgeError custom exception.

Solution

class InvalidAgeError(Exception):
    pass

try:

    age = -1

    if age < 0:

        raise InvalidAgeError(
            "Invalid Age"
        )

except InvalidAgeError as error:

    print(error)

Homework 7

Create InsufficientBalanceError exception.

Solution

class InsufficientBalanceError(Exception):
    pass

try:

    balance = 1000

    withdraw = 5000

    if withdraw > balance:

        raise InsufficientBalanceError(
            "Balance Too Low"
        )

except InsufficientBalanceError as error:

    print(error)

Quick Revision

Topic	Description
Error	Problem in program
Exception	Runtime error
try	Risky code
except	Handles exception
else	Runs if no exception
finally	Always executes
raise	Create exception manually
Exception	Base exception class
Custom Exception	User-defined exception

Summary

Concept	Key Point
Syntax Error	Code structure problem
Runtime Error	Error during execution
Logical Error	Wrong output
try	Contains risky code
except	Catches exceptions
else	Executes on success
finally	Always executes
raise	Creates exception
Custom Exception	Inherits from Exception
Exception Handling	Prevents program crashes

Exception Handling That Fixes Problems

Many beginners think exception handling is only for displaying error messages:

try:
    risky_code()

except:
    print("Error")

However, exception handling can do much more.

Instead of only reporting errors, the except block can:

Correct invalid data
Use default values
Retry operations
Create missing files
Reconnect to servers
Ask for input again
Recover from failures

Example 1: Fix Invalid User Input

Without Recovery

try:
    age = int(input("Enter age: "))

except ValueError:
    print("Invalid input")

Improved Version

try:
    age = int(input("Enter age: "))

except ValueError:

    print("Invalid input.")

    age = 18

    print("Using default age:", age)

print("Program continues...")

Output

Enter age: abc
Invalid input.
Using default age: 18
Program continues...

Explanation

The exception handler fixed the problem by assigning a default value instead of stopping the program.

Example 2: Automatically Create Missing File

try:

    file = open("data.txt", "r")

except FileNotFoundError:

    print("File missing. Creating it...")

    file = open("data.txt", "w")

    file.write("Default Content")

    file.close()

    file = open("data.txt", "r")

print(file.read())
file.close()

Instead of Crashing

File missing. Creating it...
Default Content

Explanation

The exception handler repaired the issue by creating the missing file automatically.

Example 3: Retry Until Correct Input

while True:

    try:

        number = int(input("Enter Number: "))

        break

    except ValueError:

        print("Numbers only. Try again.")

print("You entered:", number)

Output

Enter Number: abc
Numbers only. Try again.

Enter Number: xyz
Numbers only. Try again.

Enter Number: 50
You entered: 50

Explanation

This is a common real-world pattern where the program keeps asking for input until the user provides valid data.

Example 4: Recover From Division By Zero

try:

    denominator = int(input("Enter divisor: "))

    result = 100 / denominator

except ZeroDivisionError:

    print("Cannot divide by zero.")

    denominator = 1

    result = 100 / denominator

print(result)

Output

Enter divisor: 0
Cannot divide by zero.
100.0

Explanation

The exception handler automatically corrected the divisor and allowed the calculation to continue.

Example 5: Dictionary Recovery

student = {
    "name": "John"
}

try:

    age = student["age"]

except KeyError:

    print("Age not found.")

    student["age"] = 18

    age = student["age"]

print(age)

Output

Age not found.
18

Explanation

The exception handler repaired the data structure by creating the missing key.

Real-World Rule

A professional developer usually follows this principle:

Try to PREVENT errors first.

If prevention is impossible,
use exceptions to RECOVER.

Only show error messages
when recovery isn't possible.

Good Exception Handling

Error Occurs
      ↓
Detect Error
      ↓
Fix Problem
      ↓
Continue Program

Poor Exception Handling

Error Occurs
      ↓
Print Error
      ↓
Crash

Key Takeaway

The difference between beginner and professional exception handling is:

Beginner Approach	Professional Approach
Catch error	Catch error
Print message	Analyze error
Stop execution	Fix problem if possible
Program may fail	Program continues safely

Professional software often uses exceptions not just to detect problems, but to recover from them and keep the application running smoothly.

Before moving to the next chapter, make sure you can:

✅ Explain different types of errors

✅ Use try and except correctly

✅ Handle multiple exceptions

✅ Use else and finally

✅ Raise exceptions manually

✅ Create your own custom exceptions

✅ Build safe and reliable Python programs