Catching Multiple Exception Types in Python

🎣 Catching Multiple Exception Types in Python

In robust Python development, it is often necessary to catch and handle several different types of exceptions that might arise from a single block of code. Python provides flexible and concise syntax to manage multiple exceptions in a single try...except structure.

This article details the three primary methods for catching multiple exceptions, focusing on efficiency and best practice.

1. Method 1: The Single except Block (Using a Tuple)

The most Pythonic and concise way to handle multiple specific exceptions with the same handling logic is to list them as a tuple following the except keyword.

Code Example: Tuple Catching

def process_user_input(data):
    try:
        # Example 1: Failure during type conversion
        value = int(data['count']) 
        
        # Example 2: Failure during calculation
        result = 100 / value 
        
    # Catch both KeyError (if 'count' is missing) and ZeroDivisionError
    except (KeyError, ZeroDivisionError) as e:
        # This single block executes if EITHER exception occurs
        print(f"--- Input Error Handled ---")
        print(f"Caught {type(e).__name__}: {e}")
        return None
    
    except TypeError:
        # Other exceptions can still be handled separately
        print("Invalid data type provided.")
        return None

# Test cases
process_user_input({})        # Triggers KeyError -> Handled
process_user_input({'count': '0'}) # Triggers ZeroDivisionError -> Handled
process_user_input({'count': 'text'}) # Triggers ValueError -> NOT Handled by the tuple

Key Takeaway: If the action you take (logging, cleanup, returning a default value) is identical for a group of exceptions, using a tuple is the cleanest solution.

2. Method 2: Multiple except Blocks (Different Logic)

If you need distinct, specific handling logic for different exceptions, you must use separate except blocks. This allows you to tailor your response to the specific failure event.

Code Example: Separate Catching

import os
import requests

def fetch_data_from_file_or_web(source):
    if source.startswith('http'):
        # Can raise requests.exceptions.Timeout
        response = requests.get(source, timeout=2) 
        response.raise_for_status()
        return response.json()
    else:
        # Can raise FileNotFoundError
        with open(source, 'r') as f:
            return f.read()

try:
    fetch_data_from_file_or_web("https://api.timeout.com")
    
except requests.exceptions.Timeout:
    # 1. Specific logic for network timeouts
    print("FATAL: Network request timed out. Retrying later.")
    # Log specific network metrics...
    
except FileNotFoundError:
    # 2. Specific logic for missing files
    print("WARNING: Local source file missing. Using cached data.")
    # Report to a file inventory system...
    
except Exception as e:
    # 3. Final safety net for anything else (like requests.exceptions.HTTPError)
    print(f"ANOTHER ERROR: Unhandled exception occurred: {type(e).__name__}")

Key Takeaway: This is the standard pattern when the resolution, logging, or recovery strategy differs significantly between error types.

3. Method 3: Catching by Parent Class (Hierarchy)

As detailed in the article on exception hierarchy, catching a base class will automatically catch all descendant exceptions. This is the most efficient way to handle a large group of related errors uniformly.

Recall that KeyError and IndexError both inherit from the base class LookupError.

Code Example: Parent Class Catching

def get_element(collection, key):
    # This might fail with a KeyError (if 'collection' is a dict) 
    # OR an IndexError (if 'collection' is a list)
    return collection[key]

try:
    get_element(['a', 'b'], 5) # Raises IndexError
    get_element({'c': 3}, 'd') # Raises KeyError
    
# Catching LookupError handles both Index and Key Errors!
except LookupError as e:
    print(f"Consolidated handler: Failed to access element. Type: {type(e).__name__}")
    
except ValueError:
    # This is not a LookupError, so it is handled separately
    print("Invalid value provided.")

Key Takeaway: Use parent classes like LookupError (for index/key issues), ArithmeticError (for division/overflow issues), or a custom application base class (AppBaseError) to simplify your except blocks.

Summary: Choosing the Right Method

Goal	Method	Syntax Example	Best For
Same Logic	Tuple Catching	except (KeyError, IndexError):	Grouping unrelated errors that require the exact same recovery action.
Different Logic	Separate Blocks	except KeyError: ... except IndexError: ...	Situations where you need to tailor the response (e.g., logging level, user message) for each specific failure.
Related Errors	Parent Class	except LookupError: ...	Handling a known family of errors (e.g., all file I/O errors via except OSError).

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Sources and Further Reading

1. Python Documentation - Handling Multiple Exceptions
2. Python Documentation - Built-in Exceptions (To identify parent classes)
3. Real Python - Python Exception Handling (Focus on structure)
4. Real Python - When to use multiple except blocks