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Python Code Samples

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

104 matches
Functions & basics medium

How to Implement a Trampoline for Tail Recursion in Python

This code implements a trampoline decorator that converts tail-recursive functions into iterative loops, allowing deep recursion without hitting Python's recursion limit.

trampoline tail-recursion decorator
Python
def trampoline(fn):
    """Convert a tail-recursive function into an iterative loop."""
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        result = fn(*args, **kwargs)
        while callable(result):
            result = result()
        return result
    return wrapper

@trampoline
def factorial(n, acc=1):
    """Tail-recursi…
11 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

Collect Multiple Validation Errors in Python Before Raising

A chainable Validator class that accumulates all validation errors and raises them together in a single exception.

validation exceptions errors
Python
class ValidationError(Exception):
    pass

class Validator:
    def __init__(self):
        self.errors = []
    
    def validate_required(self, value, field_name):
        if not value:
            self.errors.append(f"{field_name} is required")
        return self
    
    def validate_email(self, email):
        …
13 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

How to Log Errors with Structured Fields in Python

Logs error details as structured dictionary fields using Python's logging module with extra parameters.

logging errors structured
Python
import logging
import sys

def log_structured_error(operation: str, user_id: int, status_code: int, error_msg: str):
    """Log an error with structured fields using a dictionary."""
    logger = logging.getLogger("structured_logger")
    logger.setLevel(logging.ERROR)
    
    # Create console handler if not already …
14 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

How to Print an Exception Chain in Python for Debugging

A helper that walks an exception's __cause__ and __context__ chain, printing each level with indentation to make debugging nested errors clearer.

exception-chain debugging traceback
Python
import sys
import traceback

def pretty_exception_chain(exc):
    """Print the full exception chain with cause/context details."""
    chain = []
    current = exc
    seen = set()
    
    while current is not None and id(current) not in seen:
        seen.add(id(current))
        chain.append(current)
        curren…
11 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

How to Re-raise Exceptions with 'raise from' in Python

Shows how to re-raise an exception with explicit context chaining using the 'raise ... from ...' syntax, so the original cause is preserved for debugging.

exceptions raise-from error-handling
Python
def divide_with_chain(a, b):
    try:
        result = a / b
        return result
    except ZeroDivisionError as original_error:
        # Re-raise with explicit chaining context
        raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero") from original_error

def explain_chain():
    try:
        divide_with_chain(10, 0)
    …
11 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

How to Simulate Timeout with Custom TimeoutError in Python

Run a function in a daemon thread and raise a custom TimeoutError if it exceeds a specified time limit.

timeout threading exceptions
Python
import time
from typing import Callable, TypeVar

T = TypeVar("T")


class TimeoutError(Exception):
    """Raised when an operation exceeds its time limit."""

    def __init__(self, message: str = "Operation timed out"):
        self.message = message
        super().__init__(self.message)


def run_with_timeout(func…
12 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

Implement circuit breaker open after failures demo in Python

A minimal CircuitBreaker class that calls a function and automatically 'opens' after a set number of consecutive failures, blocking further calls with a RuntimeError.

circuit-breaker resilience error-handling
Python
import time
from datetime import datetime


class CircuitBreaker:
    def __init__(self, threshold=3):
        self.threshold = threshold
        self.failure_count = 0
        self.is_open = False

    def call(self, func, *args, **kwargs):
        if self.is_open:
            raise RuntimeError("Circuit is OPEN")
  …
12 0 Open
Files & data medium

Build a Personal Work Hours Tracker in Python

A Python class that logs daily work hours to a CSV file and produces a weekly summary of total hours worked.

work-hours time-tracking csv
Python
import csv
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime, date

class WorkHoursTracker:
    def __init__(self, file_path="work_hours.csv"):
        self.file_path = Path(file_path)
        if not self.file_path.exists():
            with open(self.file_path, "w", newline="") as f:
                writer = csv…
60 0 Open
Files & data medium

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.

calendar pdf reportlab
Python
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 …
1767 0 Open
Files & data medium

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.

mmap file-io memory-efficient
Python
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…
12 0 Open
Files & data medium

Tail last N lines of growing log file in Python

Prints the last n lines of a log file and follows new content appended to it, polling for size changes.

log-file file-handling polling
Python
import time
from pathlib import Path

def tail_log(file_path, n=10, poll_interval=1.0, timeout=10):
    """
    Print the last n lines and follow new lines appended to a growing log file.
    """
    path = Path(file_path)
    # Read the last n lines from the current file
    with path.open("r", encoding="utf-8") as f…
12 0 Open
OOP & classes medium

How to Implement the State Pattern in Python

Implement the State design pattern in Python by delegating behavior to state objects, letting a media player change actions dynamically without if-else chains.

state-pattern design-patterns oop
Python
class State:
    def play(self, player): pass
    def pause(self, player): pass
    def stop(self, player): pass

class PlayingState(State):
    def play(self, player):
        return "Already playing"
    def pause(self, player):
        player.state = PausedState()
        return "Pausing playback"
    def stop(self…
12 0 Open
OOP & classes medium

How to implement a Facade class to simplify subsystem calls in Python

Use a Facade class to wrap complex subsystem interactions behind a simple start() method, hiding the details and providing a clean interface.

facade design-patterns oop
Python
class CPU:
    def freeze(self):
        print("CPU: freezing")

    def jump(self, position):
        print(f"CPU: jumping to {position}")

    def execute(self):
        print("CPU: executing")


class Memory:
    def load(self, position, data):
        print(f"Memory: loading '{data}' at {position}")


class HardDr…
15 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

Container With Most Water: Two-Pointer Solution in Python

Find the maximum water a container can hold from a list of heights using an efficient two-pointer technique in O(n) time.

two-pointer array algorithm
Python
from typing import List

def max_water_container(heights: List[int]) -> int:
    left, right = 0, len(heights) - 1
    max_area = 0
    
    while left < right:
        width = right - left
        height = min(heights[left], heights[right])
        area = width * height
        max_area = max(max_area, area)
        …
15 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

How to Solve Daily Temperatures Days Until Warmer in Python

Compute the number of days until a warmer temperature for each day using a monotonic stack.

stack monotonic algorithm
Python
def daily_temperatures(temps):
    n = len(temps)
    result = [0] * n
    stack = []
    
    for i, temp in enumerate(temps):
        while stack and temps[stack[-1]] < temp:
            prev_idx = stack.pop()
            result[prev_idx] = i - prev_idx
        stack.append(i)
    
    return result

if __name__ == …
12 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

How to Solve the Trapping Rain Water Problem in Python

Compute the total water trapped between elevation bars using a two-pointer O(n) algorithm.

algorithms two-pointers arrays
Python
def trap(height):
    if not height:
        return 0
    
    left, right = 0, len(height) - 1
    left_max, right_max = 0, 0
    water = 0
    
    while left < right:
        if height[left] < height[right]:
            if height[left] >= left_max:
                left_max = height[left]
            else:
         …
17 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

Set Matrix Zeroes in Python: Markers List Grid Demo

Given a matrix, this code finds all rows and columns that contain a zero and sets every element in those rows and columns to zero, using boolean marker arrays.

matrix arrays algorithm
Python
def set_zeroes(matrix):
    rows, cols = len(matrix), len(matrix[0])
    row_markers = [False] * rows
    col_markers = [False] * cols

    # First pass: record which rows and columns contain zeros
    for i in range(rows):
        for j in range(cols):
            if matrix[i][j] == 0:
                row_markers[i] …
14 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

Validate Sudoku Board Rows Columns and Boxes in Python

Validate a 9x9 Sudoku board by checking that each row, column, and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 exactly once.

sudoku validation matrix
Python
def validate_sudoku(board):
    def is_valid_group(group):
        return sorted(group) == list(range(1, 10))

    def get_columns():
        return [[board[r][c] for r in range(9)] for c in range(9)]

    def get_boxes():
        boxes = []
        for box_row in range(0, 9, 3):
            for box_col in range(0, 9,…
11 0 Open
Comprehensions & generators medium

Build a Generator Pipeline in Python: Filter Then Map

Create a lazy data pipeline by chaining generator functions that read, filter, map, and write data step by step.

generators pipeline lazy-evaluation
Python
def read_data():
    return ["a", "bb", "ccc", "dd", "eeeee", "f"]


def filter_short(words):
    return (word for word in words if len(word) >= 2)


def map_to_upper(words):
    return (word.upper() for word in words)


def write_data(words):
    for word in words:
        print(word)


if __name__ == "__main__":
   …
12 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

Circuit Breaker Pattern in Python for LLM API Calls

Implements a circuit breaker class that wraps LLM client calls to fail fast when the service is degrading, then recover automatically after a timeout.

circuit-breaker llm resilience
Python
import time

class CircuitBreaker:
    def __init__(self, failure_threshold=3, recovery_timeout=5):
        self.failure_threshold = failure_threshold
        self.recovery_timeout = recovery_timeout
        self.failure_count = 0
        self.state = "closed"
        self.last_failure_time = None

    def call(self, …
14 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

How to Build a Data Helper for LLM Prompts in Python

A beginner-friendly helper class that flattens nested dictionaries, formats prompt templates, and safely parses JSON for AI/LLM pipelines.

llm prompt-engineering data-prep
Python
import json
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional


class DataHelper:
    """Simple helper class for working with data in AI/LLM pipelines."""
    
    def __init__(self, data: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None) -> None:
        self.data = data or {}
    
    def flatten(self, prefix: str = "") -> Dict[str, Any]…
17 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

How to Detect Prompt Injection in Python

Implements a regex-based heuristic in Python to flag common prompt injection attempts before sending input to an LLM.

prompt-injection regex llm-security
Python
import re

def contains_prompt_injection(user_input: str) -> bool:
    # Directives to ignore previous instructions or act as system
    ignore_patterns = [
        r"\bignore\s+(all\s+)?previous\s+instructions\b",
        r"\bdisregard\s+(all\s+)?previous\s+instructions\b",
        r"\bdon'?t\s+follow\s+(any\s+)?inst…
13 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

How to Repair Malformed JSON Braces Heuristically in Python

Heuristically fix malformed JSON by balancing braces and quotes, using a stack-based approach to add missing closing characters.

json repair heuristic
Python
import json
import re

def repair_json(text: str) -> str:
    """Heuristically repair malformed JSON by balancing braces and quotes."""
    # Trim whitespace and handle leading/trailing garbage
    text = text.strip()
    
    # Remove common non-JSON decorations
    text = re.sub(r'^(
13 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns medium

How to Retry LLM Calls on Rate Limit Errors in Python

Implement a retry mechanism with exponential backoff for LLM API calls that raises a custom RateLimitError, using a mock function to demonstrate the pattern.

llm retry rate-limit
Python
import time
import random


def mock_llm_call():
    """Simulates an LLM API call that may raise a rate limit error."""
    if random.random() < 0.4:  # 40% chance of rate limit
        raise RateLimitError("Rate limit exceeded. Try again later.")
    return {"response": "Hello world from mock LLM"}


class RateLimitE…
16 0 Open

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