[Dcaldwell]

def main():
	choice = 0
	income = 4000
	global maxincome
	maxincome = 4000

	outFile = open('bh.txt', 'w')
	outFile = open('bh.txt', 'a')
	print >> outFile, '**Detailed budget history:-'
	print >> outFile
	print >> outFile, 'Starting balance: ',maxincome

	inFile = open('bh.txt', 'w')
	inFile = open('bh.txt', 'a')
	print >> inFile, '**Detailed budget history:-'
	print >> inFile
	print >> inFile, 'Starting balance: ',maxincome
	
	userInput = raw_input('Welcome to the financial planner. Press enter to continue: ')
	if userInput != "":
			choice=int(userInput)
	while choice <> 999:
		choice = menu(choice)
		if choice == 1:
			income, amt = addExp(income)

			outFile = open('bh.txt', 'a')
			print >> outFile, 'Expense Added =',amt,'Available Income:',income

		elif choice == 2:
			income, amt = removeExp(income)

			outFile = open('bh.txt', 'a')
			print >> outFile,'Expense Removed =',amt,'Available Income:',income

		elif choice == 3:
			income, amt = addIncome(income)

			outFile = open('bh.txt', 'a')
			print >> outFile,'Income Added =',amt,'Availabe Income:',income
			
		elif choice == 4:
			income, amt = removeIncome(income)

			outFile = open('bh.txt', 'a')
			print >> outFile,'Income Removed =',amt,'Availabe Income:',income
			
		elif choice == 5:
			inFile = open('bh.txt', 'r')
			displayBudgetHistory(income, inFile)

		elif choice == 999:
			print '**Thanks for using the budget utility...'

		else: print '***Invalid selection'
		
	outFile.close()
	inFile.close()

def addExp(income):
   print
   amt = input('**Enter expense to add: ')
   print

   if (amt <= income and amt > 0):
	   print '**Funds before adding adding expense: ',income
	   income = income-amt
	   print '**Funds after adding expense: ', income
	   return (income, amt)
   elif amt > income:
	   print '**Insufficient funds. Cant add this expense: ',income, 'Expense: ',amt
   else: print '**Invalid entry'

def removeExp(income):
   print
   amt = input('**Enter expense amount to be removed: ')
   print
   
   global maxincome

   if (amt + income <= maxincome):
	   print '**Funds before removing the expense: ',income
	   income = income + amt
	   print '**Funds after removing expense: ',income

   elif ((amt + income) > maxincome):
	   print '**Unable to remove expense. Invalid expense: ',income,' < Expense: ',amt
		   
   else: print '**Invalid Expense'

   return(income, amt)

def addIncome(income):
	print
	amt = input('**Enter income to add: ')
	print

	if (amt <= income and amt > 0):
	   print '**Funds before adding income: ',income
	   income = income + amt
	   print '**Funds after adding income: ',income
	   return (income, amt)
	

def removeIncome(income):
	print
	amt = input('**Enter income amount to be removed: ')
	print
   
	global maxincome

	if (amt - income <= maxincome):
	   print '**Funds before removing the income: ',income
	   income = income - amt
	   print '**Funds after removing income: ',income

	elif ((amt + income) > maxincome):
	   print '**Unable to remove income. Invalid income: ',income,' < Income: ',amt
		   
	else: print '**Invalid income'

	return(income, amt)


def displayBudgetHistory(income, inFile):

   print
   text = inFile.read()
   print text

   
def menu(choice):
   

   print '-:MAIN MENU:-'; print;
   print '1:  <---Add Expense'
   print '2:  <---Remove Expense'
   print '3:  <---Add Income'
   print '4:  <---Remove Income'
   print '5:  <---Display Transaction History'; print;
   print '999:  <---Exit'; print;

   choice = ""
   while choice == "":
	   choice = raw_input('***Enter a selection: ')

   return int(choice)
   print

main() 

I am able to run the program fine. The only problem is its not crash resistant. I have researched for three weeks trying to find an answer but have been unable to come up with one. Can anybody help me with this? I have already tried using the try: exception method, but I may have written it incorrectly. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Nallo]

You may want to tell us, how you crashed your programm and what error message you got then. It is a little difficult to help you without that information.

Anyway, one way to handle user input with the try except satement would be as follows:

while True:
	user_input = raw_input("enter some value")
	try:
		data = int(user_input) #or float(...) for floats
	except ValueError:
		print "invalid input, try again"
	else:
		break
# data is an integer when the loop is left

Explanation: if int(user_input) fails, a ValueError Exception is thrown, and caught in the except block. If no exception is caught the else block is executed and break command leves the while loop, data is an integer.
If an exception was caught, the else block is not executed and the loop continues.

One more important comment on your code:
Dont use input(). Use raw_input() instead.

Input is not safe. For example look at the following code:

#DONT TRY THIS AT HOME, KIDS
import os
user_input = input("crash me please")

What happens, if a user inputs os.system("rm file")?

With input() Python tries to evaluate whatever is entered as a python expression ... So Python calls the os.system function with the argument "rm file", which in turn executes the shell command "rm file" and removes file from your disk. For a real headache, assume it was "cd /;rm -r *" on Linux and your programm run with root rights.

This post has been edited by Nallo: 29 August 2009 - 06:20 PM