Python Code
Samples
Easy snippets you can copy, study, and run in the browser editor.
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.
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…How to Save and Load JSON Files in Python
Create a simple data helper to save Python dictionaries as pretty-printed JSON files and load them back reliably using pathlib and the stdlib json module.
import json
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Any
def save_json(data: Any, filename: str) -> None:
"""Save data as pretty-printed JSON to the current directory."""
path = Path(filename)
with path.open("w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
json.dump(data, f, indent=2, ensure_ascii=False)
def lo…How to configure ruff linter rules in pyproject.toml with Python
This Python script generates a pyproject.toml file with ruff linter rules, including selected and ignored rules, per-file ignores, and complexity limits.
from pathlib import Path
def configure_ruff_rules(project_dir: str = "my_project") -> None:
"""Create a pyproject.toml with ruff linter rules for mock usage."""
pyproject_path = Path(project_dir) / "pyproject.toml"
pyproject_path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
config = """[tool.ruff]
line-…Lint a Dockerfile with a Mock Hadolint in Python
A lightweight Python script that simulates hadolint by scanning Dockerfile text for common lint rules and printing violations.
import subprocess
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
def lint_dockerfile(content: str) -> list[str]:
"""Mock hadolint by checking a few rules and returning violations."""
violations = []
lines = content.splitlines()
for idx, line in enumerate(lines, start=1):
stripped = line.strip()
…Makefile Targets for lint, test, and build in Python
This Python script defines common Makefile targets (lint, test, build) as subprocess commands, printing each target's command and executing them with error checking.
import subprocess
TARGETS = {
"lint": ["ruff", "check", "."],
"test": ["pytest", "-q"],
"build": ["python", "-m", "build"],
}
def run(target: str) -> None:
if target not in TARGETS:
raise ValueError(f"Unknown target: {target}")
print(f"Running {target}...")
subprocess.run(TARGETS[tar…Mock pip-compile to Resolve Requirements in Python
A mock function that mimics pip-compile by converting a requirements.in file into pinned, locked package versions.
import subprocess
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
def compile_requirements_mock(requirements_in: str) -> str:
"""Mock pip-compile: resolve a simple requirements.in into a locked format."""
lines = [line.strip() for line in requirements_in.splitlines() if line.strip() and not line.startswith("#")]
…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.
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…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.
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…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.
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):…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.
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…How to Use the pytest tmp_path Fixture for Temporary Directories
Use pytest's built-in tmp_path fixture to create a unique temporary directory per test for clean file I/O testing.
import pytest
def test_write_and_read_file(tmp_path):
# tmp_path is a pytest fixture that provides a temporary directory
# unique to each test invocation
data_file = tmp_path / "data.txt"
data_file.write_text("hello world")
assert data_file.read_text() == "hello world"
def test_multiple_tmp_pat…Create a Data Helper Class in Python
A reusable DataHelper class that saves and loads JSON and CSV files from a configurable base directory, with automatic header detection for CSV.
import json
import csv
from pathlib import Path
class DataHelper:
def __init__(self, base_path="."):
self.base_path = Path(base_path)
self.base_path.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
def save_json(self, data, filename):
path = self.base_path / filename
with open(path, "w") as f:
…Idempotent Consumer: Store Processed IDs in Python
Implement an idempotent consumer that persists processed message IDs to a JSON file, skipping duplicates on restart.
import json
from pathlib import Path
class IdempotentStore:
def __init__(self, storage_path: str = "processed_ids.json"):
self.storage_path = Path(storage_path)
self.processed_ids = self._load()
def _load(self) -> set:
if self.storage_path.exists():
with self.storage_path…How to Mock Content-Disposition and Extract Filename in Python
Parse and mock Content-Disposition headers in Python to extract filenames, handling both plain and RFC 5987 encoded values.
import os
from pathlib import Path
import re
from unittest.mock import patch
def get_filename_from_content_disposition(header_value):
"""
Extract filename from a Content-Disposition header value.
Supports both filename and filename* parameters (RFC 5987).
"""
if not header_value:
return No…Rotate Log Files by Size in Python
A mock log rotation script that renames log files exceeding a size threshold, appending numbered backups.
import os
from pathlib import Path
def rotate_logs(directory: str, max_size: int = 100) -> None:
"""Rotate log files that exceed max_size bytes."""
log_dir = Path(directory)
for log_file in sorted(log_dir.glob("*.log"), key=lambda p: str(p)):
if log_file.stat().st_size > max_size:
for …Compaction Small Files Mock in Python
Simulates a small-files compaction job by creating small mock files and merging them into a single output file using Python's standard library.
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile
import os
def create_small_files(directory: Path, file_count: int = 5, lines_per_file: int = 3):
"""Create several small mock files with sample content."""
directory.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
for i in range(file_count):
file_path = directory / f"part-{i:04d}.tx…How to Mock a File Source Watch Directory in Python
Poll a directory for new files and log changes, simulating a watch directory for data ingestion patterns.
import os
import time
from pathlib import Path
def watch_directory(dir_path: str, poll_interval: float = 1.0, max_iterations: int = 5):
"""
Mock a file-source watch directory by polling for changes.
Returns new files detected during each poll cycle.
"""
directory = Path(dir_path)
directory.mk…How to Save and Load PyTorch Model State Dict in Python
This code demonstrates how to save a PyTorch model's state dict to a file and load it back into a new model instance, verifying weights match.
import torch
import torch.nn as nn
class SimpleNet(nn.Module):
def __init__(self):
super().__init__()
self.fc1 = nn.Linear(4, 8)
self.fc2 = nn.Linear(8, 2)
def forward(self, x):
x = torch.relu(self.fc1(x))
return self.fc2(x)
if __name__ == "__main__":
model = Simp…How to Save and Load a Mock Model with Pickle and joblib in Python
Serialize a custom machine learning model to a .joblib file with joblib.dump, reload it, and run a prediction with joblib.load.
import joblib
from pathlib import Path
class MockModel:
def __init__(self, weights):
self.weights = weights
def predict(self, features):
return sum(w * f for w, f in zip(self.weights, features))
def save_model_pickle(model, filepath):
with open(filepath, "wb") as f:
joblib.dump(…Load CSV Training Data Without Pandas in Python
This code loads a CSV file into a list of dictionaries using only the standard library, ideal for small ML training data without heavy dependencies.
import csv
from pathlib import Path
def load_csv(path):
"""Load CSV file into list of dicts without pandas."""
rows = []
with open(path, newline='', encoding='utf-8') as f:
reader = csv.DictReader(f)
for row in reader:
rows.append(dict(row))
return rows
if __name__ == "__m…How to Create a Data Helper Class in Python for JSON Files
Build a beginner-friendly Python helper class to read, write, filter, and summarize JSON data files with clean, reusable methods.
import json
from pathlib import Path
class DataHelper:
"""Simple beginner-friendly helper for reading and writing JSON data files."""
@staticmethod
def read_json(filename):
file_path = Path(filename)
if file_path.exists():
with file_path.open("r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
…How to mock directory-based sharding in Python
Simulates distributing files into logical shards using a deterministic hash of each filename, mocking how a database might shard rows across nodes.
import os
import hashlib
from collections import defaultdict
from pathlib import Path
def get_shard_for_key(key: str, num_shards: int) -> int:
"""Return a deterministic shard index (0..num_shards-1) for a key."""
digest = hashlib.md5(key.encode('utf-8')).hexdigest()
return int(digest, 16) % num_shards
…Simulate PostgreSQL Vacuum to Reclaim Space in Python
A Python class that safely rewrites a data file to remove deleted rows and reclaim physical space, mimicking PostgreSQL's VACUUM operation.
import shutil
import os
class VacuumCleaner:
"""Simulates PostgreSQL-style vacuum reclaiming dead space in a file."""
def __init__(self, filepath, fill_ratio=0.7, dead_marker="[DELETED]"):
self.filepath = filepath
self.fill_ratio = fill_ratio
self.dead_marker = dead_marker
…Design a Data Helper for Beginners in Python
Build a beginner-friendly DataHelper class that loads, saves, appends, and summarizes JSON data with atomic file writes.
import json
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path
class DataHelper:
"""A beginner-friendly helper for common data operations."""
def __init__(self, data=None, filepath=None):
self.data = data if data is not None else []
self.filepath = Path(filepath) if filepath else None
…Browse by section
Each section groups closely related Python snippets.
Guide: free Python code samples library
Copy-ready Python snippets for learners and developers
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.
How to use this library
- Pick a topic section — strings, lists, files, functions, and more
- Open a sample, read How it works, and copy the code block
- Run it in the IDE, tweak values, then take a related quiz or tutorial lesson
Samples vs tutorials and challenges
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.