Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

13 matches
Strings & text medium

Convert Natural Language Dates to Datetime in Python

Parse common natural language date phrases like 'tomorrow' or 'in 3 days' into Python datetime objects using regex and timedelta.

datetime natural-language regex
Python
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
import re

def parse_natural_date(text: str) -> datetime:
    """Convert common natural language date expressions to datetime objects."""
    now = datetime.now()
    text = text.lower().strip()
    
    # Handle relative dates
    patterns = {
        r"today": now,
        r"…
61 0 Open
Files & data medium

Calculate Working Hours Between Two Dates in Python

Compute total business hours (Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00) between two datetime objects, excluding weekends and non-working hours.

datetime working hours business hours
Python
from datetime import datetime, timedelta

def work_hours_between(start: datetime, end: datetime) -> float:
    """Calculate total working hours between two datetimes (Mon-Fri, 09:00-17:00)."""
    def is_workday(d: datetime) -> bool:
        return d.weekday() < 5
    
    total_hours = 0.0
    current = start
    whi…
49 0 Open
OOP & classes medium

How to Implement the Command Pattern with Undo in Python

Python code demonstrating the Command design pattern with undo and redo support using action objects and a history manager.

command-pattern design-patterns oop
Python
class Command:
    def execute(self):
        raise NotImplementedError

    def undo(self):
        raise NotImplementedError


class AddTextCommand(Command):
    def __init__(self, document, text):
        self.document = document
        self.text = text

    def execute(self):
        self.document.append(self.tex…
13 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

Visitor Pattern in Python: Double Dispatch Demo

Demonstrates the Visitor design pattern with double dispatch so operations on Dog and Cat objects are selected at runtime without modifying their classes.

visitor-pattern design-patterns double-dispatch
Python
class Animal:
    def accept(self, visitor):
        visitor.visit(self)

class Dog(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Woof!"

class Cat(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Meow!"

class SoundVisitor:
    def visit(self, animal):
        if isinstance(animal, Dog):
            return self.visit_do…
11 0 Open
Comprehensions & generators medium

How to stream parse JSON arrays in Python

This code demonstrates two generators: one that streams a JSON array as individual chunks, and another that incrementally parses those chunks into Python objects using json.JSONDecoder.

json generator streaming
Python
import json


def json_array_stream(items):
    """Generator that yields JSON-encoded values one at a time."""
    yield "["
    for i, item in enumerate(items):
        if i > 0:
            yield ","
        yield json.dumps(item)
    yield "]"


def parse_json_stream(stream):
    """Consumes a stream of JSON fragme…
14 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

Normalize Timestamps to UTC DateTime in Python

Convert timestamps in multiple formats to UTC-aware datetime objects using datetime.strptime and astimezone.

datetime timezone utc
Python
from datetime import datetime, timezone

raw_timestamps = [
    "2024-01-15 14:30:00+02:00",
    "17/05/2024 09:15:00 -0500",
    "2024-03-01T22:45:00Z",
    "2024-06-20 08:00:00+09:30"
]

def parse_and_convert(ts: str) -> datetime:
    normalized_ts = ts.strip().replace("Z", "+00:00")
    formats = [
        "%Y-%m-%…
14 0 Open
Cloud + Python medium

Mock S3 List Objects Paginator in Python

This code implements a mock S3 paginator that yields pages of object keys, mimicking the behavior of boto3's list_objects_v2 paginator for local testing.

s3 mock paginator
Python
import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone


class MockS3Paginator:
    """A mock S3 list_objects_v2 paginator returning pages of keys."""

    def __init__(self, bucket, all_keys, page_size=1000):
        self.bucket = bucket
        self.all_keys = all_keys
        self.page_size = page_size

    def pagina…
13 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Use a Weakref Cache to Avoid Memory Leaks in Python

This code demonstrates building a value cache with weakref.WeakValueDictionary so objects can be garbage collected when no longer referenced, preventing memory leaks.

weakref caching memory
Python
import weakref
import gc


class ExpensiveObject:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

    def __repr__(self):
        return f"ExpensiveObject('{self.name}')"


class ObjectCache:
    def __init__(self):
        self._cache = weakref.WeakValueDictionary()

    def get_or_create(self, name):
       …
13 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Implement the Abstract Factory Pattern in Python

Implements the Abstract Factory pattern to create families of related GUI objects (buttons, checkboxes) without specifying their concrete classes.

abstract-factory design-patterns system-design
Python
from abc import ABC, abstractmethod


class Button(ABC):
    @abstractmethod
    def render(self):
        pass


class Checkbox(ABC):
    @abstractmethod
    def render(self):
        pass


class WindowsButton(Button):
    def render(self):
        return "Rendering Windows-style button"


class WindowsCheckbox(Chec…
13 0 Open
System design patterns medium

How to Implement the Flyweight Pattern in Python

Implements the Flyweight design pattern to share immutable intrinsic state (character + font) across many document objects, reducing memory usage.

flyweight design-patterns memory-optimization
Python
class Character:
    """Flyweight - stores only intrinsic state (shared)."""

    def __init__(self, char: str, font: str):
        self.char = char
        self.font = font

    def render(self, size: int) -> str:
        return f"{self.char}_{self.font}_{size}"


class CharacterFactory:
    """Flyweight factory - ma…
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
Caching & Redis medium

How to Serialize Cache Values with JSON and Pickle in Python

Serialize cache values using JSON for simple types or pickle for arbitrary objects, with robust error handling for unsupported types like mocks.

serialization caching json
Python
import json
import pickle
from unittest.mock import Mock

def serialize(value, method="json"):
    """Serialize a cache value using JSON or pickle with type checking."""
    if method == "json":
        try:
            return json.dumps(value).encode("utf-8")
        except TypeError as e:
            raise ValueErro…
12 0 Open

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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.