Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

5 matches
Algorithms & data structures medium

Game of Life Next State Grid in Python

Compute the next generation of Conway's Game of Life from a 2D grid using the standard three rules with neighbor counting.

game-of-life grid cellular-automaton
Python
def next_state(grid):
    m, n = len(grid), len(grid[0])
    new = [[0] * n for _ in range(m)]
    for r in range(m):
        for c in range(n):
            total = 0
            for dr in (-1, 0, 1):
                for dc in (-1, 0, 1):
                    if dr == 0 and dc == 0:
                        continue
   …
14 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

How to Find the Next Greater Element for Each List Item in Python

Use a monotonic stack to find the next greater element to the right for every item in a list, in O(n) time.

stack monotonic stack algorithm
Python
def next_greater_element(nums):
    result = [-1] * len(nums)
    stack = []
    
    for i in range(len(nums) - 1, -1, -1):
        while stack and stack[-1] <= nums[i]:
            stack.pop()
        result[i] = stack[-1] if stack else -1
        stack.append(nums[i])
    
    return result


if __name__ == "__main…
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Build Cursor Pagination with Next and Prev Tokens in Python

A minimal cursor pagination implementation that returns next and previous cursor tokens for navigating a dataset.

pagination cursor api
Python
from pprint import pprint


def make_cursor(page):
    return f"page:{page:04d}"


def parse_cursor(cursor):
    _, page = cursor.split(":", 1)
    return int(page)


def paginate(all_items, page_size, cursor=None):
    start = parse_cursor(cursor) if cursor else 0
    end = start + page_size
    items = all_items[sta…
15 0 Open
ML engineering pipelines medium

How to Mock Cron Schedule in Python

Compute the next scheduled run time for a cron expression using a pure-Python mock parser.

cron scheduling mock
Python
import re
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

class CronMock:
    def __init__(self, expression):
        self.expression = expression
        self.minutes = self._parse_field(expression.split()[0], 0, 59)
        self.hours = self._parse_field(expression.split()[1], 0, 23)
        self.days = self._parse_field(…
17 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

How to Simulate a Stable Sort Cursor in Python

Build a MongoDB-style cursor mock that stably sorts records by a key while preserving original order for ties, with next() and rewind() methods.

sorting cursors database
Python
```python
import random

class CursorStableSortMock:
    """Simulates stable sorting with a cursor-like pointer for MongoDB-style queries."""
    
    def __init__(self, data, sort_key, reverse=False):
        self.data = list(data)
        self.sort_key = sort_key
        self.reverse = reverse
        self._index = …
13 0 Open

Browse by section

Each section groups closely related Python snippets.

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.