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Generate a Beautiful Folder Tree Visualization in Python
A Python utility that creates a visual tree of a directory structure, excluding common files, with configurable depth.
import os
from pathlib import Path
class FolderTree:
def __init__(self, root_path=".", ignore_list=None, max_depth=3):
self.root = Path(root_path)
self.ignore = set(ignore_list or [".git", "__pycache__", ".DS_Store"])
self.max_depth = max_depth
def generate(self):
tree…Generate a Monthly Calendar PDF in Python
Create a Python utility that generates a monthly calendar PDF using ReportLab, with weekday headers and day numbers laid out in a grid.
from calendar import TextCalendar
from datetime import datetime
from reportlab.lib.pagesizes import letter
from reportlab.pdfgen import canvas
import os
def generate_monthly_calendar_pdf(year, month, filename="calendar.pdf"):
cal = TextCalendar()
days = cal.monthdays2calendar(year, month)
month_name …How to Atomically Write Files in Python with Temp File and Rename
Write a file atomically using a temporary file and os.replace so readers never see partial writes even if the process crashes mid-write.
import os
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
def atomic_write(path: str | Path, content: str) -> None:
"""Write content to path atomically using a temp file and rename."""
path = Path(path)
path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
fd, temp_path = tempfile.mkstemp(
dir=str(path.par…How to Audit Environment Variable Files for Missing Values in Python
A Python tool that reads an environment variable file and reports any variables with empty or missing values.
import os
import re
from pathlib import Path
def audit_env_file(filepath: str) -> None:
"""
Audit an environment variable file for missing values.
Prints file status and lists variables that have empty values.
"""
path = Path(filepath)
if not path.exists():
print(f"Error: File '{filepa…How to Automatically Extract Every Archive in a Folder with Python
Walk through a folder and extract all ZIP, RAR, and 7Z archives into separate subdirectories using Python.
import zipfile
import rarfile
import py7zr
import pathlib
def extract_archives(folder: str):
"""Extract every ZIP, RAR, and 7Z archive in the given folder."""
folder_path = pathlib.Path(folder)
for archive_file in folder_path.iterdir():
suffix = archive_file.suffix.lower()
try:
…How to Automatically Merge Hundreds of Excel Files Without Losing Formatting in Python
Merge all .xlsx files in a folder into a single Excel workbook, preserving individual sheet structures with sheet name prefixes.
import pandas as pd
from pathlib import Path
def merge_excel_files(folder_path: str, output_path: str) -> None:
"""
Merge all .xlsx files in a folder into a single Excel file,
preserving individual sheet structures.
"""
folder = Path(folder_path)
excel_files = list(folder.glob("*.xlsx"))
…How to Build a CSV Comparison Tool That Highlights Every Changed Cell in Python
Read two CSV files with DictReader, compare cell by cell, and return a list of dictionaries describing each changed cell using only the standard library.
import csv
from pathlib import Path
def csv_cell_diff(file_a: str, file_b: str) -> list[dict]:
rows_a = list(csv.DictReader(Path(file_a).open('r', newline='')))
rows_b = list(csv.DictReader(Path(file_b).open('r', newline='')))
if not rows_a or not rows_b:
return []
columns = list(rows_a[0].key…How to Compare Two Files by Content Hash Equality in Python
Compares two files by hashing their contents with SHA-256, skipping the hash if file sizes differ, and returns whether they are identical.
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path
def file_hash(path: Path, chunk_size: int = 8192) -> str:
sha256 = hashlib.sha256()
with path.open("rb") as f:
for chunk in iter(lambda: f.read(chunk_size), b""):
sha256.update(chunk)
return sha256.hexdigest()
def files_are_identical(file_a: Pat…How to Find Duplicate Files by Size and Hash in Python
Recursively scan a directory, group files by size, then hash candidates to identify exact duplicate files.
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path
def hash_file(path, chunk_size=8192):
hasher = hashlib.md5()
with open(path, 'rb') as f:
while chunk := f.read(chunk_size):
hasher.update(chunk)
return hasher.hexdigest()
def find_duplicates(directory):
size_map = {}
for path in Path(dir…How to Generate Beautiful QR Codes with Embedded Logos in Python
Generate a high-error-correction QR code and paste a logo image in the center to create a branded, scannable QR code.
import qrcode
from PIL import Image
def generate_qr_with_logo(data, logo_path, output_path):
qr = qrcode.QRCode(
version=1,
error_correction=qrcode.constants.ERROR_CORRECT_H,
box_size=10,
border=4,
)
qr.add_data(data)
qr.make(fit=True)
qr_img = qr.make_image(fill_c…How to Generate an Inventory Report of All Files in Python
Walk a directory tree, collect metadata for every file, and write a CSV inventory report using Python's os, pathlib, and csv modules.
import os
import csv
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime
def generate_inventory_report(root_dir: str = "/", output_file: str = "inventory_report.csv"):
headers = ["File Path", "Size (bytes)", "Last Modified", "File Type"]
rows = []
start_time = datetime.now()
for dirpath, dirna…How to Load Pickle Files Safely in Python
This code demonstrates how to load pickle files safely in Python by using a restricted unpickler that only allows specific, trusted classes, preventing arbitrary code execution from untrusted pickles.
import pickle
# Default pickle.load is unsafe: it executes arbitrary code when unpickling.
class Unsafe:
def __reduce__(self):
return (eval, ("open('/tmp/pickle_demo.txt', 'w').write('pwned')",))
# Create a malicious payload (simulating untrusted source)
malicious_data = pickle.dumps(Unsafe())
# Safe ap…How to Memory Map Large Files Read-Only in Python
This code demonstrates reading only the tail of a large file using a read-only memory map (mmap) to avoid loading the entire file into memory.
import mmap
import os
def read_tail_with_mmap(filepath, bytes_from_end=64):
"""Read the last bytes of a large file using a read-only mmap."""
file_size = os.path.getsize(filepath)
start = max(0, file_size - bytes_from_end)
with open(filepath, "rb") as f:
with mmap.mmap(f.fileno(), length=0, a…How to Parse Apache Log Files in Python
Parse Apache common log format lines into structured dictionaries using Python's standard library.
import re
from pathlib import Path
def parse_apache_line(line):
pattern = r'^(\S+) (\S+) (\S+) \[([^\]]+)\] "(\S+) (\S+) (\S+)" (\d{3}) (\S+)'
match = re.match(pattern, line)
if not match:
return None
ip, ident, user, timestamp, method, path, protocol, status, size = match.groups()
return …How to Scrape Headlines from a News Website Using Beautiful Soup in Python
Scrape headline text from a news website using requests and Beautiful Soup with a CSS selector.
import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
def scrape_headlines(url: str, selector: str) -> list:
"""
Scrape headlines from a news website using Beautiful Soup.
Args:
url: The URL of the news website.
selector: CSS selector for headline elements.
Returns:
List of h…How to Stream Large CSV Files in Python
Process a large CSV file in memory-efficient chunks using Python's csv module, yielding batches of rows instead of loading everything at once.
import csv
from pathlib import Path
def process_csv_in_chunks(file_path, chunk_size=1000):
"""Yield rows from a large CSV file in chunks without loading all into memory."""
with open(file_path, 'r', newline='') as f:
reader = csv.DictReader(f)
chunk = []
for row in reader:
…How to Sync Two Folders in Python (Lightweight Backup)
A Python script that synchronizes a source folder to a destination folder, copying new or updated files and removing files that no longer exist in the source.
import os
import shutil
import sys
from pathlib import Path
def sync_folders(src: Path, dst: Path):
"""Sync src folder to dst folder, copying missing/updated files."""
dst.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
for src_path in src.rglob("*"):
relative = src_path.relative_to(src)
dst_path = ds…How to Use fcntl for Exclusive File Locking in Python
This code demonstrates how to acquire an exclusive advisory lock on a file using fcntl.flock with a non-blocking flag, simulate work, then release the lock.
import fcntl
import os
import tempfile
import time
def acquire_exclusive_lock(filepath):
fd = os.open(filepath, os.O_RDWR | os.O_CREAT)
try:
fcntl.flock(fd, fcntl.LOCK_EX | fcntl.LOCK_NB)
print(f"Exclusive lock acquired on {filepath}")
time.sleep(1) # Simulate work while holding the l…How to Write a List of Lines to a Text File Safely in Python
This code atomically writes a list of strings as lines to a text file using a temporary file and os.replace to prevent corruption.
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile
import os
def write_lines_safely(lines: list[str], filepath: str | Path) -> None:
"""Write lines to a text file atomically to avoid corruption."""
path = Path(filepath)
path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
fd, temp_path = tempfile.mkstemp(dir=str…Join two CSV files on shared key column in Python
Merge rows from two CSV files by a common key column, outputting combined records to a new file.
import csv
def join_csv(file1, file2, key, output="joined.csv"):
# Read first CSV into dict keyed by the join column
with open(file1, newline="") as f1:
reader1 = csv.DictReader(f1)
data1 = {row[key]: row for row in reader1}
# Read second CSV and merge matching rows
with open(file2, n…Read Parquet-Like Columnar CSV Chunks in Python
A Python generator that reads a CSV file column-by-column, yielding dictionary chunks where each key points to a list of values—mirroring how Parquet stores data columnar.
```python
import csv
from pathlib import Path
from typing import Iterator, List
def read_parquet_like_columnar(csv_path: str, column_names: List[str], chunk_size: int = 2) -> Iterator[dict]:
"""Read CSV data in columnar chunks, similar to how parquet stores columns."""
csv_file = Path(csv_path)
with csv_f…Scrape HTML Tables and Convert Them to CSV Using Beautiful Soup in Python
Scrape a Wikipedia table with Beautiful Soup and write the data to a CSV file using the csv module.
import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import csv
url = "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)"
response = requests.get(url)
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, 'html.parser')
tables = soup.find_all('table', {'class': 'wikitable'})
if tables:
target_table = tables[2]
rows =…Build a Case-Insensitive Dict with a Wrapper Class in Python
Create a custom dict subclass that treats keys as case-insensitive by normalizing them to lowercase, with a full set of common dict methods.
class CaseInsensitiveDict:
def __init__(self, data=None):
self._data = {}
if data:
self.update(data)
def __setitem__(self, key, value):
self._data[str(key).lower()] = value
def __getitem__(self, key):
return self._data[str(key).lower()]
def __delitem__(sel…Find All Leaf Paths in a Nested Dict in Python
Recursively traverse a nested dictionary and yield every leaf path as a list of keys, including paths to empty dictionaries.
def find_leaf_paths(data, path=None):
if path is None:
path = []
if not isinstance(data, dict) or not data:
yield path
return
for key, value in data.items():
yield from find_leaf_paths(value, path + [key])
if __name__ == "__main__":
nested = {
"a": 1,
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