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Python Code Samples

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

10 matches
Functions & basics medium

How to Parse Function Signatures in Python with inspect

Extract a function's parameter names, kinds, defaults, annotations, and return type using Python's built-in inspect module.

inspect function signature introspection
Python
import inspect

def example_function(a: int, b: str = "default", *args, c: float = 1.5, **kwargs) -> bool:
    """An example function with various parameter types."""
    return True

def parse_signature(func):
    """Parse a function's signature using the inspect module."""
    sig = inspect.signature(func)
    param…
13 0 Open
Files & data medium

Create a Local File Versioning System Using Pure Python

Track file changes locally by copying versions with SHA-256 hashes and JSON metadata using only the Python standard library.

file-versioning files backup
Python
import os
import shutil
import hashlib
import json
import time
from pathlib import Path

class LocalFileVersioning:
    def __init__(self, target_dir="versioned_files", versions_dir="versions"):
        self.target_dir = Path(target_dir)
        self.versions_dir = Path(versions_dir)
        self.metadata_file = self.…
53 0 Open
Files & data medium

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.

os.walk pathlib csv
Python
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…
49 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

Automatically Download the Latest Software Release from GitHub with Python

Use the GitHub API to fetch the latest release metadata and download the first asset (binary or archive) to a local directory.

github api download
Python
import requests
import sys
from pathlib import Path

def download_latest_release(owner: str, repo: str, output_dir: str = ".") -> None:
    """Download the latest release asset from a GitHub repository."""
    url = f"https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo}/releases/latest"
    response = requests.get(url)
    res…
63 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to Compare Two GitHub Repositories and Highlight Differences in Python

Fetch metadata from two GitHub repositories using the GitHub API and compare key attributes like stars, forks, license, and language, printing any differences.

github-api api comparison
Python
import requests
import json
from pathlib import Path

def fetch_repo_data(owner, repo_name):
    """Fetch repository metadata from GitHub API."""
    url = f"https://api.github.com/repos/{owner}/{repo_name}"
    response = requests.get(url)
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()

def compare_repos(…
35 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to Detect Recently Installed Software in Python

Uses subprocess to call pip and parse package metadata to list recently installed Python packages.

pip subprocess automation
Python
import subprocess
import sys
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

def detect_recently_installed(days=7):
    """Detect recently installed software packages."""
    recent_packages = []
    cutoff_date = datetime.now() - timedelta(days=days)
    
    try:
        # For pip-installed packages (Python packages)
    …
36 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Format Git Patch Series as an MBOX File in Python

Generate a patch-series mbox file from commit metadata with numbered [PATCH nnn/nnn] subjects and a Git-style footer.

git mbox patch-series
Python
import re
from pathlib import Path


def format_patch_series_mbox(commits, output_path="series.mbox"):
    entries = []
    for idx, commit in enumerate(commits, start=1):
        subject = commit["subject"]
        author = commit["author"]
        email = commit["email"]
        date = commit["date"]
        body = …
13 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

How to mock boto3 S3 upload file wrapper in Python

Wrap an S3 put_object call in a testable function that returns metadata, and mock boto3 to verify the upload without touching AWS.

boto3 s3 aws
Python
import boto3
import io


def upload_file_to_s3(file_obj, bucket, key, object_metadata=None):
    """Upload a file-like object to S3 and return a metadata dict."""
    s3 = boto3.client("s3")
    content = file_obj.read()
    s3.put_object(
        Bucket=bucket,
        Key=key,
        Body=content,
        Metadata=…
13 0 Open
Big data & Spark medium

How to Create a Mock Iceberg Snapshot Manifest in Python

Build a mock Iceberg snapshot manifest structure with metadata and data entries using Python dictionaries and JSON.

iceberg manifest snapshot
Python
import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone


def create_mock_manifest(snapshot_id: int, file_paths: list[str]) -> dict:
    """Create a mock Iceberg snapshot manifest structure."""
    manifest_file = {
        "manifest_path": f"/warehouse/table/metadata/snap-{snapshot_id}-m0.avro",
        "manifest_length"…
15 0 Open
ML engineering pipelines medium

How to mock an artifact store with local paths in Python for ML pipelines

Create a temporary local artifact store with dummy files and metadata to test ML pipeline code without real storage.

ml-pipelines mock tempfile
Python
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
import json


def create_artifact_store_mock(base_path: Path = None):
    """Create a local artifact store mock directory structure."""
    if base_path is None:
        base_path = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp())

    store_layout = {
        "artifacts": [
            {"name": "mode…
13 0 Open

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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.