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Python Code Samples

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

13 matches
Functions & basics medium

How to Build a Subcommand Parser Tree with argparse in Python

Create a CLI with nested subcommands (like git) using argparse subparsers, where each subcommand maps to its own handler function.

argparse cli subparsers
Python
import argparse


def cmd_add(args):
    print(f"Adding {args.num1} + {args.num2} = {args.num1 + args.num2}")


def cmd_sub(args):
    print(f"Subtracting {args.num1} - {args.num2} = {args.num1 - args.num2}")


def main():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(prog="calculator")
    subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(d…
12 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
Dictionaries & sets medium

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.

dictionary recursion nested-data
Python
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,
…
13 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets medium

Get Nested Dict Value with Default in Python

Access values deep inside a nested dictionary using a dotted path string, returning a default when any key is missing.

dictionaries nested default-value
Python
def get_nested(d, path, default=None):
    """Walk a nested dict along a dotted path, returning default if missing."""
    current = d
    for key in path.split("."):
        if isinstance(current, dict) and key in current:
            current = current[key]
        else:
            return default
    return current
…
16 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets medium

How to Deep Merge Nested Dicts Recursively in Python

Recursively merge two Python dictionaries, with overlay values taking precedence while preserving nested structures.

dict-merge recursion nested-dicts
Python
def deep_merge(base, overlay):
    """
    Recursively merge two dictionaries.
    Values in 'overlay' take precedence over 'base'.
    """
    result = base.copy()
    
    for key, value in overlay.items():
        if key in result and isinstance(result[key], dict) and isinstance(value, dict):
            result[key…
14 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets medium

How to Recursively Remove None Values from Nested Dictionaries in Python

Recursively removes all None values from nested dictionaries and lists while preserving non-None data.

dictionaries recursion data-cleaning
Python
def prune_none(obj):
    if isinstance(obj, dict):
        return {
            k: prune_none(v)
            for k, v in obj.items()
            if v is not None and prune_none(v) is not None
        }
    elif isinstance(obj, list):
        pruned = [prune_none(item) for item in obj]
        pruned = [item for item i…
15 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets medium

Traverse Nested Dict Paths Depth-First in Python

Recursively walk a nested dictionary depth-first and yield each full path from root to leaf as lists.

recursion generators nested-dicts
Python
def depth_first_paths(node, path=None):
    if path is None:
        path = []
    
    if not isinstance(node, dict):
        yield path + [node]
        return
    
    for key, value in node.items():
        new_path = path + [key]
        if isinstance(value, dict):
            yield from depth_first_paths(value, …
13 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets medium

Unflatten Dot Keys to Nested Dict in Python

Convert a flat dictionary with dot-separated keys into a nested dictionary structure using recursive setdefault loops.

dictionaries nested flatten
Python
def unflatten_dot_keys(flat_dict):
    result = {}
    for flat_key, value in flat_dict.items():
        parts = flat_key.split(".")
        current = result
        for part in parts[:-1]:
            current = current.setdefault(part, {})
        current[parts[-1]] = value
    return result


if __name__ == "__main_…
14 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

How to Decode a String with Repeated Brackets in Python

Decodes strings with patterns like '3[a]2[bc]' by using a stack to handle nested and repeated bracket groups.

stack string-decoding algorithms
Python
def decode_string(s: str) -> str:
    stack = []
    current_num = 0
    current_str = ""

    for ch in s:
        if ch.isdigit():
            current_num = current_num * 10 + int(ch)
        elif ch == "[":
            stack.append((current_str, current_num))
            current_str = ""
            current_num = 0…
13 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
Modern tooling medium

How to mock argparse nested subparsers in Python

Build an argparse parser with nested subparsers and test it using unittest.mock.patch for sys.argv and sys.stdout.

argparse subparsers unittest
Python
import argparse
from unittest.mock import patch
from io import StringIO

def build_parser():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(prog="app")
    subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(dest="command", required=True)

    # Outer subparser
    outer = subparsers.add_parser("outer")
    outer_sub = outer.add_subparsers(dest…
15 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Validate Request Body JSON Against a Schema in Python

Build a lightweight schema validator to check required fields, types, string lengths, allowed values, and nested objects in a JSON request body.

api-validation json schema-validation
Python
import json


def validate_against_schema(data, schema, path=""):
    errors = []

    if not isinstance(data, dict):
        errors.append(f"{path}: expected object, got {type(data).__name__}")
        return errors

    for field, rules in schema.items():
        field_path = f"{path}.{field}" if path else field

  …
15 0 Open
Streaming & messaging medium

How to Simulate RabbitMQ Exchange Routing in Python

Simulate RabbitMQ exchange routing using a nested dict, matching routing keys against patterns like error.* and info.# to return bound queues.

rabbitmq routing messaging
Python
from collections import defaultdict

def route_message(exchanges, exchange_name, routing_key):
    """
    Simulate RabbitMQ exchange routing using a nested dict structure.
    Returns list of queue names that match the routing key.
    """
    queues = exchanges.get(exchange_name, {})
    matched = []
    
    for pa…
14 0 Open

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Guide: free Python code samples library

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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.