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Python Code Samples

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157 matches
Modern tooling easy

How to Read the Python Path from VS Code settings.json in Python

This code loads VS Code's settings.json file and extracts the python.defaultInterpreterPath value, with a mock demonstration for testing.

vscode settings json
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from unittest.mock import patch

def read_vscode_python_path(settings_path: Path) -> str:
    """Extract python.defaultInterpreterPath from VS Code settings.json."""
    with open(settings_path, "r") as f:
        settings = json.load(f)
    return settings.get("python", {}).get("d…
13 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Run Coverage Report and Generate HTML in Python

Use the coverage module to measure test coverage, save the report, and generate an HTML report in Python.

coverage testing unittest
Python
import coverage
import unittest


def add(a, b):
    return a + b


class TestAdd(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_add_positive(self):
        self.assertEqual(add(2, 3), 5)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    cov = coverage.Coverage(source=["__main__"])
    cov.start()
    suite = unittest.defaultTestLoader.loadTestsFro…
12 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Use pytest Fixtures and conftest.py for Shared Setup in Python

Learn how to define reusable pytest fixtures for shared setup and use them to keep tests clean and maintainable.

pytest fixtures conftest
Python
import pytest

class Calculator:
    def add(self, a, b):
        return a + b

    def multiply(self, a, b):
        return a * b


@pytest.fixture
def calc():
    return Calculator()


@pytest.fixture
def sample_numbers():
    return (3, 5)


def test_add(calc, sample_numbers):
    a, b = sample_numbers
    assert c…
13 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

Mock pdm build and publish in Python

Simulate pdm build and publish commands with unittest.mock to test packaging workflows without triggering real builds or uploads.

pdm mock unittest
Python
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

import pdm


def build_package() -> str:
    """Simulate building a package with pdm."""
    build_mock = Mock(return_value="dist/mypackage-0.1.0-py3-none-any.whl")
    with patch.object(pdm, "build", build_mock):
        result = pdm.build()
    return result


def publish_packa…
12 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

pytest mark slow skip integration

Uses pytest markers to select fast tests, skip unfinished ones, and run integration checks with verbose output.

pytest markers testing
Python
import pytest

def test_fast():
    assert 1 + 1 == 2

@pytest.mark.slow
def test_slow():
    import time
    time.sleep(1)
    assert 5 * 5 == 25

@pytest.mark.skip(reason="Not ready for production")
def test_skipped():
    assert 2 + 2 == 5

@pytest.mark.integration
def test_integration():
    database = {"users": […
17 0 Open
Concurrency & performance easy

How to Test HTTPX Async Client Pool Reuse with Mocks in Python

Mock an httpx.AsyncClient to verify connection pool reuse by asserting GET calls share a single client instance across concurrent async requests.

httpx async-await mock
Python
import asyncio
import httpx
from unittest.mock import AsyncMock, patch, Mock

async def fetch_with_pool(client, url, n_reuses=3):
    results = []
    for i in range(n_reuses):
        resp = await client.get(url)
        results.append(resp.status_code)
        await asyncio.sleep(0)  # yield to loop to mimic real us…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Capture stdout and stderr with pytest capsys

Use pytest's capsys fixture to capture and assert on standard output and error streams in your tests.

pytest testing capture
Python
import pytest

# Function under test
def greet(name):
    print(f"Hello, {name}!")
    print(f"Error: {name} not found", file=sys.stderr)

def test_captures_stdout_and_stderr(capsys):
    greet("Alice")
    captured = capsys.readouterr()
    
    assert "Hello, Alice!" in captured.out
    assert "Error: Alice not foun…
12 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Dependency Injection in Python for Testability

Inject a config dependency into a service so you can swap a real environment-based config for a fake one in tests.

dependency-injection testing mocking
Python
import os


class Config:
    """Simple config loader that can be easily faked in tests."""
    def get(self, key, default=None):
        return os.environ.get(key, default)


class UserService:
    def __init__(self, config):
        self.config = config

    def get_timeout(self):
        return int(self.config.get(…
17 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Fix and Test a Regression Bug in Python with Unit Tests

This code implements a circle area function that raises ValueError for negative radii, then runs basic tests and a regression check for that edge case.

regression-testing unit-testing math
Python
import math

def calculate_area(radius):
    """Calculate the area of a circle given its radius."""
    if radius < 0:
        raise ValueError("Radius cannot be negative")
    return math.pi * radius ** 2

def main():
    test_cases = [0, 1, 2.5, 5, 10]
    
    print("Circle Area Calculator")
    print("-" * 30)
   …
16 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Fuzz Test Random Bytes Input Crash in Python

A simple fuzz test generates random byte inputs and runs a parser to find unexpected crashes.

fuzzing testing random
Python
import random


def parse_header(data: bytes) -> dict:
    """Parse a fake binary header format."""
    if len(data) < 8:
        raise ValueError("header too short")

    magic = data[:4]
    if magic != b'PARS':
        raise ValueError("bad magic")

    version = data[4]
    if version != 1:
        raise ValueErro…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Generate Fake User Data with Faker in Python

Use the Faker library to generate realistic fake user profiles with names, emails, phone numbers, and addresses for tests or demos.

faker fake-data testing
Python
from faker import Faker

fake = Faker()

def generate_user():
    return {
        "name": fake.name(),
        "email": fake.email(),
        "phone": fake.phone_number(),
        "address": fake.address().replace("\n", ", "),
    }

if __name__ == "__main__":
    user = generate_user()
    for key, value in user.ite…
9 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Assert Exceptions in Python with pytest.raises

Use pytest.raises as a context manager to assert that a function raises an expected exception and inspect its message in pytest tests.

pytest testing exceptions
Python
import pytest

def divide(a, b):
    if b == 0:
        raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero")
    return a / b

def test_divide_by_zero():
    with pytest.raises(ValueError) as exc_info:
        divide(10, 0)
    assert str(exc_info.value) == "Cannot divide by zero"
    assert "zero" in str(exc_info.value)

def te…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Capture Logging Records with pytest caplog in Python

Capture and assert on logging records in pytest using the built-in caplog fixture.

pytest logging testing
Python
import logging
import pytest

def divide(a, b):
    """Divide two numbers and log an error if b is zero."""
    if b == 0:
        logging.error("Division by zero attempted")
        return None
    logging.info(f"Dividing {a} by {b}")
    return a / b

def test_divide_logs_error(caplog):
    with caplog.at_level(logg…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Compare Files and Show a Diff in Python

Compare two text files and print a unified diff using Python's difflib module to highlight differences.

diff files difflib
Python
import difflib
from pathlib import Path

def compare_files(expected_path: str, actual_path: str) -> str:
    """Compare two text files and return a unified diff."""
    expected = Path(expected_path).read_text()
    actual = Path(actual_path).read_text()

    diff = difflib.unified_diff(
        expected.splitlines(ke…
10 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Compare Floats in pytest with approx

Uses pytest.approx to compare floating-point numbers with tolerance, avoiding precision issues.

pytest floating-point testing
Python
import pytest

def test_float_addition():
    result = 0.1 + 0.2
    expected = 0.3
    assert result == pytest.approx(expected)
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock open() in Python for Reading File Data

This example shows how to mock Python's built-in open() function using unittest.mock to simulate file reading without touching the disk.

mock unittest file-io
Python
import builtins
from unittest.mock import patch

def read_file_data(filename):
    with open(filename, 'r') as f:
        return f.read()

def mock_read_data():
    fake_data = "This is mocked file content"
    
    class FakeFile:
        def __enter__(self):
            return self
        def __exit__(self, *args):…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock pathlib Path.read_text with mock_open in Python

Mock pathlib.Path.read_text using patch and mock_open to test file-reading code without touching the filesystem.

testing mock pathlib
Python
import pathlib
from unittest.mock import mock_open, patch

def read_config(filepath: pathlib.Path) -> str:
    """Read file content with pathlib."""
    return filepath.read_text()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    mock_data = "version: 1.0\nname: demo-app"
    
    with patch("pathlib.Path.open", mock_open(read_data=mo…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock requests.get in Python

Mock requests.get with unittest.mock to test code that makes HTTP calls without hitting the network.

mocking requests unit-testing
Python
import requests
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

def fetch_user_data(user_id):
    response = requests.get(f"https://api.example.com/users/{user_id}")
    return response.json()

def process_user(user_id):
    mock_response = Mock()
    mock_response.json.return_value = {"id": user_id, "name": "Alice", "age": 30…
12 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock return_value with MagicMock in Python unittest

Use unittest.mock.MagicMock to replace a dependency and set return_value to control what a mocked method returns during unit tests.

unittest mock magicmock
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import MagicMock


class PaymentGateway:
    def charge(self, amount):
        raise NotImplementedError


class OrderService:
    def __init__(self, gateway):
        self.gateway = gateway

    def process_order(self, amount):
        return self.gateway.charge(amount)


class Test…
12 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock subprocess.run returncode in Python

Simulate subprocess.run return codes in tests with unittest.mock.patch and CompletedProcess.

unittest mock subprocess
Python
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch


def run_command(cmd):
    result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
    return result.returncode


if __name__ == "__main__":
    with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
        # Simulate a successful command (returncode 0)
        mock_run.retu…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Parametrize pytest Tests with Multiple Input Cases in Python

This code shows how to use pytest's @pytest.mark.parametrize decorator to run the same test function across multiple input-output combinations, checking that an add function behaves correctly for each case.

pytest parametrize testing
Python
import pytest

def add(a, b):
    return a + b


@pytest.mark.parametrize("a,b,expected", [
    (1, 2, 3),
    (5, 5, 10),
    (-1, 1, 0),
    (0, 0, 0),
    (10, -3, 7),
])
def test_add(a, b, expected):
    assert add(a, b) == expected


if __name__ == "__main__":
    pytest.main([__file__, "-v"])
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Share Fixtures Across Tests with pytest conftest

Learn how to define pytest fixtures in conftest.py and control their scope (function, module, session) so every test in a directory reuses the same setup and teardown.

pytest fixtures conftest
Python
import pytest

@pytest.fixture
def sample_data():
    """Simple fixture available to all tests in this directory."""
    return {"name": "Alice", "age": 30}

@pytest.fixture(scope="session")
def session_data():
    """Fixture created once per test session."""
    return {"session_id": 12345}

@pytest.fixture(scope="mo…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Skip Slow Tests with pytest.mark in Python

Use pytest.mark.skip and custom marks like @pytest.mark.slow to skip or deselect slow tests during test runs.

pytest testing skip
Python
import pytest
import time


def test_fast():
    assert 1 + 1 == 2


@pytest.mark.skip(reason="slow test skipped by default")
def test_slow():
    time.sleep(5)
    assert True


@pytest.mark.slow
def test_marked_slow():
    time.sleep(5)
    assert True


if __name__ == "__main__":
    pytest.main([__file__, "-v", "-…
12 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Test Environment Variables with pytest monkeypatch in Python

Shows how to use pytest's monkeypatch fixture to set and delete environment variables for isolated tests.

pytest monkeypatch environment variables
Python
import os
import pytest

def get_database_url():
    return os.getenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgres://default")

def test_database_url_with_env(monkeypatch):
    monkeypatch.setenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgres://test-db")
    assert get_database_url() == "postgres://test-db"

def test_database_url_default(monkeypatch):
    m…
12 0 Open

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Guide: free Python code samples library

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PythonSkillset code samples are short, focused examples organised by topic and difficulty. Every snippet is server-rendered HTML — readable by search engines and easy to copy. Open any sample, read the notes, copy the code, then press Try in editor to run it in the browser with Pyodide.

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  2. Open a sample, read How it works, and copy the code block
  3. Run it in the IDE, tweak values, then take a related quiz or tutorial lesson

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Samples are quick reference — one concept per page. For step-by-step teaching, use our Python tutorials. To test yourself, try quizzes or coding challenges. Clean up style with the Python formatter.