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Python Code Samples

Easy snippets you can copy, study, and run in the browser editor.

53 matches
Functions & basics easy

Create a retry decorator with max attempts in Python

A decorator that retries a function up to a specified number of times when it raises an exception, with an optional delay between attempts.

decorator retry error-handling
Python
import functools
import time


def retry(max_attempts, delay=0.1):
    """Retry a function up to max_attempts times on exception."""
    def decorator(func):
        @functools.wraps(func)
        def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
            for attempt in range(1, max_attempts + 1):
                try:
                …
12 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use the if __name__ == '__main__' Guard in Python

This code defines reusable functions and uses the standard main guard to run them only when the script is executed directly, not when imported.

main guard __main__ script entry point
Python
def greet(name: str) -> str:
    """Return a friendly greeting."""
    return f"Hello, {name}!"

def get_planet() -> str:
    """Return the name of our planet."""
    return "Earth"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    user = "Dorothy"
    print(greet(user))
    print(f"We live on {get_planet()}.")
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

Catch RecursionError and Fail Gracefully in Python

Wrap a recursive function call in a try-except block to catch RecursionError and print a graceful failure message instead of crashing.

recursion exceptions error-handling
Python
def compute_factorial_recursive(n):
    """Compute factorial recursively, raising RecursionError for deep recursion."""
    if n == 0:
        return 1
    return n * compute_factorial_recursive(n - 1)


if __name__ == "__main__":
    try:
        result = compute_factorial_recursive(10000)
        print(f"Factorial c…
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

Catch ValueError and print friendly message in Python

Wrap an int() call in a try/except block and print a friendly message when ValueError is raised.

error handling try except valueerror
Python
try:
    number = int("not_a_number")
except ValueError:
    print("That's not a valid number. Please enter digits only.")
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

Handle ValueError and ZeroDivisionError in Python with try except

Learn how to catch ValueError and ZeroDivisionError in Python with a practical safe_divide function and demonstrate error handling for invalid conversions.

try-except valueerror zerodivisionerror
Python
def safe_divide(numerator, denominator):
    try:
        result = numerator / denominator
    except ValueError as e:
        print(f"ValueError caught: {e}")
        return None
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        print("Cannot divide by zero!")
        return None
    return result

# Test cases
print(safe_divide…
12 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Catch ValueError in Python

Shows how to handle a ValueError with try-except so a bad int() conversion doesn't crash the script.

try-except valueerror error-handling
Python
try:
    number = int("not_a_number")
    print(f"Parsed successfully: {number}")
except ValueError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}")
    print("Please provide a valid integer.")
print("Program continues running.")
16 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Catch ValueError in Python (try except)

Handle invalid numeric input by catching ValueError in a try/except block and returning a friendly error message.

errors exception handling valueerror
Python
def parse_number(text):
    try:
        number = int(text)
        return f"Parsed number: {number}"
    except ValueError as error:
        return f"Error: '{text}' is not a valid number ({error})"


if __name__ == "__main__":
    examples = ["42", "hello", "3.14", "100"]
    for item in examples:
        print(pars…
11 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Handle ValueError Exceptions in Python

A beginner-friendly example showing how to catch ValueError and related exceptions with try-except blocks in Python.

exceptions valueerror try-except
Python
def divide_numbers(a, b):
    try:
        result = a / b
        return f"{a} / {b} = {result}"
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        return "Error: Cannot divide by zero."
    except TypeError:
        return "Error: Please provide numbers, not strings."
    except ValueError:
        return "Error: Invalid value de…
15 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Handle ValueError When Converting Strings to Integers in Python

Convert text to an integer with a try-except block that catches ValueError and prints beginner-friendly error messages.

valueerror try-except int
Python
def parse_number(text):
    """Convert text to an integer, showing beginner-friendly error handling."""
    try:
        number = int(text)
        print(f"Successfully parsed: {number}")
        return number
    except ValueError as e:
        print(f"Error: '{text}' is not a valid number.")
        print(f"Debuggin…
11 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Handle ValueError and Multiple Exceptions in Python

This code demonstrates try/except blocks for beginners, handling ZeroDivisionError, TypeError, and ValueError with two practical functions: dividing numbers and parsing strings to floats.

try-except valueerror exception-handling
Python
def divide_numbers(a, b):
    """Divide two numbers with error handling for beginners."""
    try:
        result = a / b
        print(f"{a} / {b} = {result}")
        return result
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        print(f"Error: Cannot divide {a} by zero!")
    except TypeError:
        print(f"Error: Both argu…
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Handle ValueError in Python (try except)

Learn to catch ValueError and other exceptions with try-except blocks in Python using practical division and string-to-float conversion examples.

try-except valueerror error-handling
Python
def divide_numbers(a, b):
    """Divide two numbers and handle ValueError safely."""
    try:
        result = a / b
        return f"{a} / {b} = {result}"
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        return "Error: Cannot divide by zero!"
    except TypeError:
        return "Error: Both inputs must be numbers!"


def parse…
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Handle ValueError with try except in Python

Shows a beginner-friendly try/except pattern that catches ValueError when converting text to an integer, prints a helpful message, and returns None instead of crashing.

try-except valueerror error-handling
Python
def parse_number(text):
    try:
        return int(text)
    except ValueError:
        print(f"ValueError: '{text}' is not a valid integer.")
        return None


if __name__ == "__main__":
    user_input = "abc"
    result = parse_number(user_input)
    print(f"Parsing '{user_input}' returned: {result}")

    vali…
14 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Handle ValueError with try-except in Python

Build a beginner-friendly division calculator that catches ValueError and ZeroDivisionError with try-except blocks.

error-handling try-except valueerror
Python
def get_number(prompt="Enter a number: "):
    while True:
        try:
            value = float(input(prompt))
            return value
        except ValueError:
            print("That's not a valid number. Please try again.")


def divide_numbers(a, b):
    try:
        result = a / b
        return result
    ex…
12 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Use try except ValueError in Python to Parse Numbers

Convert strings to integers safely with try/except ValueError and TypeError, returning a value-or-error tuple.

try-except valueerror error-handling
Python
def parse_number(text):
    """Safely convert a string to an integer, handling errors gracefully."""
    try:
        value = int(text)
        return value, None
    except ValueError as error:
        return None, f"Conversion failed: {error}"
    except TypeError as error:
        return None, f"Wrong type provided…
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Use try except else finally in Python

Demonstrates the correct order of try/except/else/finally blocks in Python with a safe division function.

try-except error-handling flow-control
Python
def safe_divide(numerator, denominator):
    try:
        result = numerator / denominator
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        print("Error: Cannot divide by zero!")
    except TypeError:
        print("Error: Both arguments must be numbers!")
    else:
        print(f"Division successful: {numerator} / {denominator…
14 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to Validate JSON in Python and Catch JSONDecodeError

A robust Python function that attempts to parse JSON strings and returns a boolean plus either the parsed data or a descriptive error message when decoding fails.

json validation jsondecodeerror
Python
import json

def validate_json(json_string):
    """Try to parse JSON, return (is_valid, data_or_error)."""
    try:
        data = json.loads(json_string)
        return True, data
    except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
        return False, f"Invalid JSON: {e}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    test_inputs = [
        …
11 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to catch ValueError in Python and print a friendly message

This code defines a function that safely converts text to an integer, catches ValueError, and prints a friendly message instead of crashing.

exception handling valueerror try except
Python
def parse_number(text):
    try:
        return int(text)
    except ValueError:
        print("Oops! That's not a valid number.")
        return None

if __name__ == "__main__":
    result = parse_number("abc")
    if result is None:
        print("Parsing failed.")
    else:
        print(f"Parsed value: {result}")
12 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

How to handle ZeroDivisionError in Python

Wrap a division operation in try/except to return None or a friendly message instead of crashing when dividing by zero.

zero-division exception-handling try-except
Python
def safe_divide(a, b):
    """Return a/b if possible, else None when dividing by zero."""
    try:
        return a / b
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        return None


def safe_divide_with_message(a, b):
    """Return a how-to message on divide-by-zero error."""
    try:
        return a / b
    except ZeroDivisio…
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

Python dict try-except KeyError EAFP vs LBYL

Compare EAFP (try-except) and LBYL (if-in-check) styles for safely accessing dictionary keys, with working examples in Python.

eafp lbyl dictionary
Python
def safe_get_lbyl(d, key):
    if key in d:
        return d[key]
    return "default-lbyl"

def safe_get_eafp(d, key):
    try:
        return d[key]
    except KeyError:
        return "default-eafp"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    data = {"name": "Alice", "age": 30}
    print("LBYL:", safe_get_lbyl(data, "missing")…
14 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

Retry an Operation on ConnectionError in Python

Retries an unreliable operation a fixed number of times when it raises a transient ConnectionError, with a small delay between attempts.

retry connection-error error-handling
Python
import time
import random


def unreliable_operation():
    """Simulates an operation that throws ConnectionError occasionally."""
    if random.random() < 0.6:
        raise ConnectionError("Transient network failure")
    return "Operation succeeded"


def retry_operation(attempts=4, delay=0.2):
    """Retries the o…
15 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

Split try except ValueError handler for beginners in Python

Demonstrates how to handle ValueError and ZeroDivisionError separately using try/except blocks, with beginner-friendly examples for parsing and division.

try-except valueerror zerodivisionerror
Python
def parse_number(text):
    try:
        number = int(text)
        return f"Parsed successfully: {number}"
    except ValueError as error:
        return f"Conversion failed: {error}"

def divide_numbers(dividend, divisor):
    try:
        result = dividend / divisor
        return f"Division result: {result}"
    e…
14 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

Try Except ValueError in Python: Handle Conversion Errors

Catch ValueError exceptions when converting strings to integers or performing arithmetic, returning None on failure instead of crashing.

try-except valueerror exception
Python
def convert_to_int(value):
    try:
        return int(value)
    except ValueError as error:
        print(f"Conversion failed: {error}")
        print(f"Problem value was: {repr(value)}")
        return None


def divide_numbers(numerator, denominator):
    try:
        result = numerator / denominator
        retur…
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging easy

Validate try except ValueError handler for beginners — errors debugging

Learn how to validate user input and handle division errors safely using try/except with ValueError and ZeroDivisionError in Python.

try except valueerror
Python
def divide_numbers(a, b):
    """Divide two numbers, catching division by zero and value errors."""
    try:
        result = a / b
    except ZeroDivisionError:
        print("Error: Cannot divide by zero!")
        return None
    except TypeError:
        print("Error: Both arguments must be numbers!")
        retu…
14 0 Open
Files & data easy

How to List Tar Archive Contents in Python

Open a tar archive with the stdlib tarfile module and print each entry's type, size, and name.

tarfile archive filesystem
Python
import tarfile
from pathlib import Path

def list_tar_contents(archive_path):
    """List all entries in a tar archive."""
    entries = []
    with tarfile.open(archive_path, "r") as tar:
        for member in tar.getmembers():
            entry_type = "dir" if member.isdir() else "file"
            entries.append(f"…
11 0 Open

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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

  1. Pick a topic section — strings, lists, files, functions, and more
  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

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.