EXERCISE 20: Handle missing file errors with try-except

Task: Add error handling so your program doesn’t crash if the flashcard file is missing. Test what happens if the program can’t find a file called flashcards.txt.

  1. Temporarily rename flashcards.txt to flashcards_backup.txt
  2. Run your program
  3. You’ll see an error: FileNotFoundError: [Errno 2] No such file or directory

Use the try/except to handle the case where the file flashcards.txt is not found. Rather than letting the program crash, get it to print out a message to the user to add the missing file, e.g.

The file flashcards.txt is missing. Please add it to initialise your flashcards.

Use the exit() command to leave the program gracefully without an error message.

Run and check: Run your code in the terminal to make sure it works with the command

python flashcards_app`
  • With flashcards.txt missing, your program should print out the message you have specified to tell the user to add the missing file.
  • When you rename the file flashcards_backup.txt back to flashcards.txt, the file should load successfully and the program should run as it previously did.

Read through and add comments: Add any comments in your code that will help you understand it when you come back to it later.

Save your progress: Commit with message “EXERCISE 20: Handle missing file errors with try-except” and save your work to Github with the standard Git workflow.

(Re)read the guides:

Example solution

flashcards_app.py

# Created by: Alex Ubuntu
# Date: 01.01.2026
# Purpose: A personal flashcard trainer to help with learning

# Import the random module
import random

### LOAD FLASHCARDS
# Set flashcards list from file
# Initialize empty list
flashcards_list = []
file_separator = ','

# Open and read the file
flashcard_file = "flashcards.txt"
try:
    with open(flashcard_file, 'r') as file:
        lines = file.readlines()
except:
    # Handle scenario where file is not found 
    # and display comprehensible message to user.
    print(f"The file {flashcard_file} is missing. Please add it to initialise your flashcards.")
    exit()

# Process each line
# Each line has: question,answer
for line in lines:
    # Remove whitespace/newlines
    line = line.strip()
    
    # Extract question and answer 
    # with pattern matching assuming two comma
    # separated values in a row:
    question, answer = line.split(file_separator)
    
    # Add to list
    flashcards_list.append((question, answer))

# Confirm loaded
print(f"{len(flashcards_list)} flashcards loaded!")

### INITIAL INTERACTION WITH USER
# Welcome message
print("Welcome to your personal flashcard trainer!")

# Absolute maximum number of cards so that the user can't ask for too many
ABSOLUTE_MAX_CARDS = 100
DEFAULT_MAX_CARDS = 20

# Fetch from user and save to variable
name = input("What is your name? ")
max_cards = DEFAULT_MAX_CARDS # Set a default value for max_cards

# Confirm name
print(f"\nMy name is {name}")

# Card and score variables
num_cards_completed = 0
num_cards_correct = 0
score = 0

### FUNCTIONS
# Function to calculate and display score information
def display_score_info():

    # Handle case where no cards have been completed yet.
    if num_cards_completed <=0:
        print("You need to practice before you can get a score.")
    else:
        # Calculate score
        score = (num_cards_correct/num_cards_completed) * 100
        print(f"\nYou have answered {num_cards_correct} out of {num_cards_completed} correctly. Your score is {score}%.")

# Function to write score information to file
def write_score_info():
    # Calculate score
    score = (num_cards_correct/num_cards_completed) * 100
    # Open the file
    with open('progress.txt', 'a') as file:
        # Write score information and new line so next entry appears on
        # row below
        file.write(f"{num_cards_completed},{num_cards_correct},{score}\n")

# Fetches progress history from progress.txt file
# Empty list returned if file not found
def get_progress_history():
    score_data = []
    # Open and read the file
    try:
        # Open and read the file
        with open('progress.txt', 'r') as file:
            lines = file.readlines()
            # Process each line
            # Each line has: num_cards_completed,score
            
            for i, line in enumerate(lines):
                # Remove whitespace/newlines
                line = line.strip()
    
                # Split by ',' separator
                parts = line.split(file_separator)

                # Extract num_cards_completed and score
                # Name these variables something different 
                # saved_cards_completed, saved_score 
                # so they don't write over those being used by the rest of the program
                saved_cards_completed = parts[0].strip()
                saved_score = parts[1].strip()
                score_data.append((saved_cards_completed, saved_score))
            return score_data
    except FileNotFoundError:
        return []

### APP MENU LOOP
while True:
    print("\nSelect an option by entering a number")
    print("1: Set the number of cards you wish to practice")
    print("2: Start flashcards")
    print("3: Show the current score")
    print("4: View progress history") # Option to view progress history
    print("5: Exit")
    
    
    choice = input("\nChoose an option: ")
    
    if choice == "1":

        while True:
            # More stringent validation for input for maximum number of cards
            
            # Fetch input from user but don't attempt to convert the input string 
            # to int until certain it will work 
            entered_max_cards = input("\nHow many cards would you like to practice each session? ")

            # Check if input string represents an integer
            if entered_max_cards.isdigit():

                # Convert to integer data type
                entered_max_cards = int(entered_max_cards)
            
                # Check if value is within the value range 
                # (between 1 and the absolute maximum number of cards)
                if entered_max_cards > 0 and entered_max_cards < ABSOLUTE_MAX_CARDS:
                    
                    # Set the max_cards variable with the user's preference
                    max_cards = entered_max_cards
                    # Confirm number maximum number of cards per session
                    print(f"\nI want to practice at most {max_cards} cards per session")
                    break
                else:
                    ## Let the user know what the range should be (Bonus task).
                    print(f"\nPlease enter a valid number bewteen 1 and {ABSOLUTE_MAX_CARDS}.")    
            else:
                print(f"\nPlease enter a whole number number over 0.")  

    elif choice == "2":

        # Reset the number of cards completed for each session
        num_cards_completed = 0
        num_cards_correct = 0

        # Iterate through flashcards list of tuples
        # Each tuple element of the list contains a question, answer pair
        # Using a for loop means that the number of flashcards displayed
        # is limited by the number of items in flashcards so the user
        # may end up practicing fewer cards than they specified  
        for q, a in flashcards_list:
            # Ask user question and save response into variable
            user_answer = input(f"\nQuestion: {q}\n")
            
            # Increment the count of cards completed
            num_cards_completed += 1
            
            # Display user's answer and correct answer
            print(f"Your answer: {user_answer}, Correct answer: {a}")

            # Response deemed to be correct even if given in different case
            if user_answer.lower() == a.lower():
                
                # Increment count of cards answered correctly
                num_cards_correct += 1
                print("Correct")
            else:
                print("Incorrect")
        
            # Check if number of cards completed has hit the user's
            # preferred maximum number of cards
            if num_cards_completed >= max_cards:
                break
        
        print("\nWell done on completing your practice session!")
        # Write score info out with each session completed
        write_score_info()
        # Display score info at the end of a session
        display_score_info()

    elif choice == "3":

        display_score_info()

    elif choice == "4":
        
        # get_progress_history() returns a list of tuples
        # containing the num_cards_completed and score
        # for each session
        progress_history = get_progress_history()
        print("How many sessions would you like to view?")
        num_sessions = int(input("Enter the number or 0 to show all: "))
        print("What order would you like to see them in?")
        print("1: Oldest")
        print("2: Most recent")
        order = input("Choose an option by entering 1 or 2: ")
        #TODO: Add handling of invalid inputs

        # If the user wants to see all sessions, set num_sessions
        # to the number of sessions available
        if num_sessions==0:
            num_sessions = len(progress_history) 

        selected_lines = progress_history
        if order =="2":
            # Need to reverse order of list if 
            # most recent first is selected
            selected_lines = selected_lines[::-1]
        selected_lines = selected_lines[:num_sessions]
        
        for line in selected_lines:
            saved_cards_completed = line[0]
            saved_score = line[1]
            print(f"{saved_cards_completed} cards completed, score {saved_score}%")

    elif choice == "5":
        print(f"We hope you enjoyed your practice session today, {name}.")
        
        display_score_info()
        score = (num_cards_correct / num_cards_completed) * 100
        
        # Display feedback message based on score
        if score > 90 and score <= 100:
            print("Excellent work!")
        elif score > 70 and score <= 90:
            print("Good job!")
        elif score > 50 and score <= 70:
            print("Keep practicing!")
        elif score > 0 and score <= 50: 
            print("Need more study time!")
        
        print("Look forward to seeing you again soon!")
        break
    
    else:
        # Clarify instruction to get valid input
        print("\nInvalid value entered. Please make sure you enter just a single digit (no other words): 1, 2, 3 or 4, to select an option.")

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