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Build a Python Script That Detects and Deletes Empty Files Across Folders
A Python script that recursively finds and removes all zero-byte files across nested directories, returning a list of deleted paths.
import os
from pathlib import Path
def find_and_delete_empty_files(root_dir: str) -> list:
"""Find and delete all empty files under root_dir. Returns list of deleted paths."""
deleted = []
for file_path in Path(root_dir).rglob('*'):
if file_path.is_file() and file_path.stat().st_size == 0:
…Compare Two Folder Structures and Find Differences in Python
Walks two directories using os.walk, builds sets of relative paths, and prints items that exist in only one folder.
import os
def compare_folders(path1, path2):
"""
Compare the file/folder structure of two directories and print differences.
"""
def get_structure(root):
structure = set()
for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(root):
rel_path = os.path.relpath(dirpath, root)
…How to Create Nested Directories with pathlib mkdir parents in Python
Create nested directories with pathlib's Path.mkdir using parents=True and exist_ok=True to avoid errors when paths already exist.
from pathlib import Path
def create_nested_directories(base_path: str, dirs: list[str]) -> None:
for directory in dirs:
path = Path(base_path) / directory
path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
print(f"Created: {path}")
if __name__ == "__main__":
root = "output"
nested_dirs = ["2…How to Prune Empty Directories in Python with os.walk
Remove all empty subdirectories bottom-up using os.walk with topdown=False and os.rmdir, safely ignoring non-empty folders.
import os
def prune_empty_dirs(root):
"""Remove all empty subdirectories under root, bottom-up."""
for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(root, topdown=False):
if dirpath == root:
continue
try:
os.rmdir(dirpath)
print(f"Removed: {dirpath}")
exce…How to Split Files by Extension in Python
Group files in a folder by their file extension into a dictionary using pathlib.
from pathlib import Path
def split_files_by_extension(folder_path):
folder = Path(folder_path)
files_by_ext = {}
for file_path in folder.iterdir():
if file_path.is_file():
ext = file_path.suffix.lower() or "no_extension"
files_by_ext.setdefault(ext, []).append(file_path.na…How to Get Git Status and Log in Python
A beginner-friendly helper that runs git status and git log from Python using subprocess, with safe handling for non-repo directories.
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
def git_status(path: str = ".") -> str:
"""Return the current git status as a string."""
result = subprocess.run(
["git", "status", "--short"],
cwd=path,
capture_output=True,
text=True
)
return result.stdout.strip() or "No cha…How to Mock Git Worktree Creation in Python
Create a mock Git worktree setup with parallel branch directories and state files for testing or simulation.
import os
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
def create_mock_worktree(base_dir: Path, branches: list[str]) -> dict[str, Path]:
"""
Mock Git worktree creation: creates parallel directories for each branch
under the base directory, simulating independent worktrees.
"""
worktrees = {}
for b…How to Run Git Commands from Python with subprocess
This helper runs `git status --short` and `git log --oneline` from Python, captures their output, and returns readable strings with error handling for non-repo directories.
import subprocess
def git_status():
"""Return a short, human-readable git status."""
try:
output = subprocess.run(
["git", "status", "--short"],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
check=True,
).stdout.strip()
return output if output else "W…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…How to Mock Multi-Stage Docker Builds in Python
Simulate a multi-stage Docker build in pure Python using classes and temp directories to understand how build stages copy artifacts into a final image.
# Simulate multi-stage Docker build with pure Python
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile
import shutil
class BuildContext:
"""Mimics a Docker build context with stages."""
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name
self.files = {}
def add_file(self, dest, content):
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