Python Code
Samples
Easy snippets you can copy, study, and run in the browser editor.
How to Align Text in Two Columns with ljust in Python
Format pairs of strings into two aligned columns using ljust padding.
items = [
("apple", "red"),
("banana", "yellow"),
("cherry", "dark red"),
("date", "brown")
]
col1_width = max(len(name) for name, _ in items) + 2
for name, color in items:
print(name.ljust(col1_width) + color)How to Transpose a Matrix in Python (List of Lists)
Swap rows and columns of a 2D list using nested loops to produce a transposed matrix.
def transpose(matrix):
# Number of rows and columns in the original matrix
rows = len(matrix)
cols = len(matrix[0]) if rows > 0 else 0
# Create a new matrix with dimensions swapped
result = []
for j in range(cols):
new_row = []
for i in range(rows):
new_row.appe…How to Unpivot Wide to Long with pandas melt in Python
This code demonstrates how to use pandas.melt to unpivot a wide DataFrame into a tidy long format, converting subject columns into rows.
import pandas as pd
# Sample wide-format data
df_wide = pd.DataFrame({
'id': [1, 2, 3],
'name': ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie'],
'math': [90, 85, 95],
'science': [80, 92, 88]
})
print("Original wide DataFrame:")
print(df_wide)
# Melt: unpivot subject columns into rows
df_long = pd.melt(
df_wide,
…Union Multiple DataFrames with Aligned Columns in Python
Concatenate DataFrames with different columns, aligning them and filling missing values with NaN using pandas concat.
import pandas as pd
from io import StringIO
# Sample dataframes with different columns
df1 = pd.DataFrame({
'id': [1, 2, 3],
'name': ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie'],
'age': [25, 30, 35]
})
df2 = pd.DataFrame({
'id': [4, 5],
'name': ['Diana', 'Eve'],
'city': ['NYC', 'LA']
})
df3 = pd.DataFrame({
…How to Filter and Project Spark DataFrames with PySpark SQL
Simulate a SQL SELECT with WHERE using PySpark DataFrame select and filter to project columns and apply conditions.
from pyspark.sql import SparkSession
from pyspark.sql.functions import col
spark = SparkSession.builder.appName("QueryFilterMock").master("local[2]").getOrCreate()
data = [
("Alice", 28, "Engineering"),
("Bob", 35, "Sales"),
("Carol", 32, "Engineering"),
("David", 25, "Marketing"),
("Eve", 29, "E…How to Mock DataFrame Schema Columns in Python
Create an empty pandas DataFrame with only the specified column names to mock a schema before any data is loaded.
import pandas as pd
def mock_schema(columns):
return pd.DataFrame(columns=columns)
if __name__ == "__main__":
cols = ["name", "age", "city"]
df = mock_schema(cols)
print(df)
print(f"Columns: {list(df.columns)}, Shape: {df.shape}")How to select specific columns in Python with SQLite
A reusable function that connects to a SQLite database and returns only the requested columns from a given table.
import sqlite3
def select_pruned_columns(db_path, table, columns):
with sqlite3.connect(db_path) as conn:
cursor = conn.cursor()
col_list = ", ".join(columns)
query = f"SELECT {col_list} FROM {table}"
return cursor.execute(query).fetchall()
if __name__ == "__main__":
conn = sq…Modeling a Hive Metastore Table Schema in Python
A dataclass that mimics a Hive metastore table schema—columns, partition keys, storage format, and location—with helper methods for description and mutation.
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Dict, List, Optional
@dataclass
class HiveTable:
"""Simple mock of a Hive metastore table schema."""
name: str
database: str = "default"
columns: List[Dict[str, str]] = field(default_factory=list)
partition_keys: List[Dict[str, str]] = f…How to Avoid SELECT * and Mock SQL Column Queries in Python
Mock a SQLite cursor to verify that queries specify explicit columns instead of using SELECT *.
import sqlite3
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
def get_user_emails(connection):
"""Fetch only the required columns instead of SELECT *."""
cursor = connection.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT email FROM users")
return [row[0] for row in cursor.fetchall()]
def test_get_user_emails_specific_colu…How to enforce a unique index constraint in Python
Mock a database unique index in Python that rejects duplicate rows based on one or more columns.
class MockIndex:
def __init__(self, columns):
self.columns = columns
self._values = set()
def insert(self, row):
key = tuple(row[col] for col in self.columns)
if key in self._values:
raise ValueError(f"Duplicate key {key} for columns {self.columns}")
self._v…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.