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Exception Hierarchy

Python has a structured Exception Hierarchy with all exceptions inheriting from BaseException, which includes system-exiting exceptions. The most commonly used class for user-defined exceptions is Exception, while specific error classes like ArithmeticError, LookupError, and OSError provide detailed categorization for debugging. It is recommended to catch specific exceptions rather than using a generic catch-all approach.

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9 views6 pages

Exception Hierarchy

Python has a structured Exception Hierarchy with all exceptions inheriting from BaseException, which includes system-exiting exceptions. The most commonly used class for user-defined exceptions is Exception, while specific error classes like ArithmeticError, LookupError, and OSError provide detailed categorization for debugging. It is recommended to catch specific exceptions rather than using a generic catch-all approach.

Uploaded by

vidhikapoor1298
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Yes!

Python has a well-defined Exception Hierarchy where all exceptions inherit from
the built-in BaseException class.

Python Exception Hierarchy

BaseException

├── SystemExit

├── KeyboardInterrupt

├── GeneratorExit

└── Exception

├── ArithmeticError

│ ├── ZeroDivisionError

│ ├── FloatingPointError

│ ├── OverflowError

├── LookupError

│ ├── IndexError

│ ├── KeyError

├── OSError

│ ├── FileNotFoundError

│ ├── PermissionError

│ ├── TimeoutError

├── ValueError

├── TypeError
│

├── NameError

│ ├── UnboundLocalError

├── RuntimeError

│ ├── RecursionError

├── AssertionError

├── AttributeError

├── EOFError

├── ImportError

│ ├── ModuleNotFoundError

├── KeyboardInterrupt

├── IndentationError

│ ├── TabError

├── MemoryError

├── NotImplementedError

├── RecursionError

1. BaseException (Root of All Exceptions)

 All exceptions in Python inherit from BaseException.

 Normally, we should not catch BaseException as it includes system-exiting


exceptions like KeyboardInterrupt.

2. Exception (General Exception Class)

 The most common class that all user-defined exceptions inherit from.

 It is safe to catch Exception because it excludes system-exiting errors.

Example: Catching Exception


try:

x=1/0

except Exception as e:

print("Caught an exception:", e)

Output:

Caught an exception: division by zero

3. ArithmeticError (Math-Related Errors)

 ZeroDivisionError → Division by zero

 OverflowError → Too large number to store

 FloatingPointError → Floating point operation failure (rare)

Example: ZeroDivisionError

try:

print(10 / 0)

except ZeroDivisionError:

print("Cannot divide by zero!")

4. LookupError (Container Access Errors)

 IndexError → List index out of range

 KeyError → Dictionary key does not exist

Example: IndexError

my_list = [1, 2, 3]

try:

print(my_list[5]) # Invalid index

except IndexError:

print("Index out of range!")

5. OSError (File and OS-Related Errors)


 FileNotFoundError → File does not exist

 PermissionError → No permission to access a file

Example: FileNotFoundError

try:

open("non_existent_file.txt", "r")

except FileNotFoundError:

print("File not found!")

6. TypeError (Invalid Data Type Usage)

Occurs when an operation is performed on an incorrect type.

Example: TypeError

try:

print("Hello" + 5)

except TypeError:

print("Cannot concatenate string and integer!")

7. ValueError (Incorrect Value)

Occurs when a function receives an argument of the correct type but invalid value.

Example: ValueError

try:

num = int("abc") # Cannot convert "abc" to integer

except ValueError:

print("Invalid number format!")

8. ImportError (Module Import Issues)

 ModuleNotFoundError → Module not found

 ImportError → Cannot import a function from a module

Example: ModuleNotFoundError
try:

import non_existent_module

except ModuleNotFoundError:

print("Module not found!")

9. NameError (Undefined Variables)

 UnboundLocalError → Using a local variable before assignment

Example: NameError

try:

print(undefined_variable)

except NameError:

print("Variable not defined!")

10. RuntimeError (General Runtime Errors)

 RecursionError → Maximum recursion depth exceeded

Example: RecursionError

def recursive_function():

return recursive_function()

try:

recursive_function()

except RecursionError:

print("Recursion depth exceeded!")

Key Takeaways

✔ Python exceptions follow a hierarchical structure


✔ BaseException is the root, but Exception is the most commonly used parent
✔ Specific errors like TypeError, ValueError, IndexError, etc., help in debugging
✔ Always catch specific exceptions instead of using a generic except:
Would you like any deep dive into a specific category?

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