Prepare a tiny input file
Create a CSV with the headers category,amount and five sample rows. Include repeated categories and one empty amount.
Checkpoint: You know what the correct category totals should be before writing code.
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Free project guide / Beginner
Build a Python CSV summary tool
Turn a small data file into a repeatable report, with sensible error messages.
2–4 practice sessions ยท suggested effortWhat you'll make
A script that summarizes category totals and writes a new CSV.
Read rows as named fields
Use Python's csv.DictReader. Validate the headers before processing. Open the file using a context manager and an explicit encoding.
Checkpoint: Print the category and amount for each row without relying on column positions.
Validate and summarize
Parse amounts with decimal.Decimal. Skip or report invalid rows with their row number; document your chosen policy. Accumulate a total for each category.
Checkpoint: An invalid number produces a readable message, and valid totals match your manual calculation.
Write a report
Use csv.DictWriter to write category,total rows to a separate output file. Accept the input and output paths with argparse.
Checkpoint: Run the same script on a different file without changing the source.
Package the project
Add a README, sample input, expected output, and checks for an empty file, missing headers, and invalid values.
Checkpoint: A new user can run your documented example from a clean folder.
Before you call it finished
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Document one thing that failed, how you investigated it, and what you would improve next.
Bring your questions to a conversation.
Explain your goal, what you tried, and where you got stuck. Check the available mentoring packages for scope and price.