Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
🐍 Python Exception Handling – A
Beginner's Guide
🎯 Step 1: Why Exception Handling?
In Python, if your code runs into an unexpected issue (like dividing by zero), it crashes.
Exception handling helps you deal with such situations gracefully without stopping the whole
program.
🧨 Step 2: What Happens Without Exception Handling?
print("Step 1: Start")
a = 10
b=0
result = a / b # ❌ Crash here
print("Step 2: Result is", result)
Output:
Step 1: Start
ZeroDivisionError: division by zero
● The rest of the code never runs
● User gets a crash screen – bad experience!
Step 3: Zomato App Analogy – Crash Without Handling
print("Welcome to Zomato!")
number_of_items = int(input("How many items? "))
total_price = 200 * number_of_items
average_price = total_price / number_of_items # ❌ Division by zero
print("Average price per item:", average_price)
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
Input: 0
Output: ZeroDivisionError
Step 4: Handling It Using try-except
try:
number_of_items = int(input("How many items? "))
total_price = 200 * number_of_items
average_price = total_price / number_of_items
print("Average price:", average_price)
except ZeroDivisionError:
print("❌ You cannot order 0 items.")
except ValueError:
print("❌ Please enter a valid number.")
finally:
print("✅ Thank you for using Zomato!")
🧠 Step 5: if-else vs try-except
Q: “Why not just use if-else?”
# if-else only checks known problems
if number_of_items == 0:
print("❌ Cannot divide by zero")
else:
print(200 / number_of_items)
❌ Crashes if user enters "abc" → ValueError
✅ try-except can handle unexpected errors too.
📋 Step 6: Common Python Exceptions
Exception Name When It Happens
ZeroDivisionEr Divide by 0
ror
Gowtham SB
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ValueError Invalid conversion
(int("abc"))
TypeError Mixing data types ("a" + 1)
IndexError List index out of range
KeyError Dictionary key not found
FileNotFoundEr File doesn’t exist
ror
AttributeError Method not found on object
🔍 Step 7: Catch All Exceptions (If You're Not Sure)
try:
# risky code
except Exception as e:
print("⚠️Error occurred:", e)
✅ Safest for unknown cases
❌ Not ideal for production if overused
❌ Step 8: What Not to Do
try:
risky_code()
except:
pass # ❌ BAD PRACTICE – hides all bugs
Avoid silent fails. Always log or handle clearly.
✅ Step 9: Recap Summary
Concept Use Case Example
try block Code that might fail
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
except ErrorType Handle specific error
except Exception Handle unknown error
as e
else block Runs if no exception occurred
finally block Always runs (cleanups,
messages)
🧪 Step 10: Practice Exercise
Write a program that:
● Asks for 2 numbers
● Divides them
● Handles ZeroDivisionError and ValueError
● Always prints "Thanks for using the calculator"
💡 PROJECT IDEA: “Zomato Order Calculator with
Exception Handling”
📝 1. Project Description (for Portfolio / GitHub / Resume)
📌 Project Title:
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
Zomato Order Calculator (Exception Handling Demonstration)
🛠 Description:
A Python-based console application that simulates a Zomato-
like food order system. The project demonstrates real-time
exception handling by managing invalid user inputs, such as
entering zero quantity, non-numeric values, and handling
division errors. It uses Python’s try-except-else-finally
blocks to gracefully catch and handle runtime errors,
enhancing user experience and application stability.
🎯 Objective:
To demonstrate how to handle real-world edge cases and
exceptions in user inputs using Python's built-in error-
handling constructs.
✅ Features:
● Input handling for number of items
● Error messages for zero or invalid input
● Always shows a friendly thank-you message (via finally)
● Covers both specific and generic exceptions
● Clean code with comments
🧰 Tech Stack:
● Language: Python 3
● IDE: VS Code / PyCharm / Jupyter
📂 File Structure:
zomato_calculator.py
README.md
📦 How to Run:
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
python zomato_calculator.py
🧪 Sample Input/Output:
How many items? 0
❌ You cannot order 0 items.
✅ Thank you for using Zomato!
📌 Concepts Used:
● try-except-else-finally
● ZeroDivisionError
● ValueError
● Clean code practices
🎤 2. How to Present in an Interview
When They Ask:
"Can you explain a Python project you've worked on?"
✅ Suggested Answer (Script Style):
"Sure! I built a mini Zomato Order Calculator in Python. The
idea was to simulate a food-ordering scenario where users
input the number of items they want to order. I used exception
handling to gracefully manage unexpected inputs — like
dividing by zero when the user enters 0, or catching
ValueError when they type text instead of a number. I also
included a finally block to always thank the user, showing how
even cleanups can be done safely. This helped me master how
real-world apps use exception handling to prevent crashes."
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
"I designed the code to be clean and readable and even added
logging in the final version to simulate production-level
practices."
🔥 Bonus Points You Can Add:
● "Handled unknown exceptions using except Exception as e: to make
the app crash-proof."
● "This experience made me realize how important it is to
anticipate user behavior and build fault-tolerant systems."
● "I later extended it to include a menu system and price selection
using dictionaries and loops."
🧠 Tip: Show It, Don't Just Tell
● Upload your .py file to GitHub ✅
● Add screenshots or sample input/output in README.md 📸
● Paste the link in your resume or LinkedIn portfolio 🌐
Gowtham SB
www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
About the Author
Gowtham SB is a Data Engineering expert, educator, and content creator with a
passion for big data technologies, as well as cloud and Gen AI . With years of
experience in the field, he has worked extensively with cloud platforms, distributed
systems, and data pipelines, helping professionals and aspiring engineers master the
art of data engineering.
Beyond his technical expertise, Gowtham is a renowned mentor and speaker, sharing
his insights through engaging content on YouTube and LinkedIn. He has built one of
the largest Tamil Data Engineering communities, guiding thousands of learners to
excel in their careers.
Through his deep industry knowledge and hands-on approach, Gowtham continues to
bridge the gap between learning and real-world implementation, empowering
individuals to build scalable, high-performance data solutions.
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www.linkedin.com/in/sbgowtham/ Instagram - @dataengineeringtamil
