Dealing with EOFError: Ran out of input error from file that is constantly updated

I have the following code that loads a pickle file frequently throughout the day:

import pandas as pd

df = pd.read_pickle('data')

Sometimes I get the following error:

EOFError: Ran out of input

I assume that this happens when the file is in the middle of being updated by a different program. To fix, this I tried the following:

import pandas as pd
import time

try:
    df = pd.read_pickle('data')
except:
    time.sleep(0.5)
    df = pd.read_pickle('data)

I get the error less frequently, but eventually I get it again as the "data" file is constantly updated, more than once per second.

Is there a way of making a loop that keeps trying for say 10 or 20 trys before throwing an error? Without just writing 10 or 20 nested trys and excepts?

To answer your question about 20 tries, you can use a loop. Make sure to catch the specific exception, in case a different error is thrown.

for i in range(20):
    try:
        df = pd.read_pickle('data')
    except EOFError:
        time.sleep(0.5)