Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

10 matches
Files & data medium

How to Write a List of Lines to a Text File Safely in Python

This code atomically writes a list of strings as lines to a text file using a temporary file and os.replace to prevent corruption.

files atomic-write pathlib
Python
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile
import os

def write_lines_safely(lines: list[str], filepath: str | Path) -> None:
    """Write lines to a text file atomically to avoid corruption."""
    path = Path(filepath)
    path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
    
    fd, temp_path = tempfile.mkstemp(dir=str…
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
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
Automation & scripting medium

Generate Beautiful Project Documentation from Python Source Code Automatically

Automatically generate a markdown summary of function docstrings from any Python source file using the AST module.

ast automation documentation
Python
import ast
import inspect
from pathlib import Path

def extract_docstrings_from_file(filepath):
    """Parse a Python file and collect function docstrings."""
    source = Path(filepath).read_text()
    tree = ast.parse(source)

    docs = []
    for node in ast.walk(tree):
        if isinstance(node, (ast.FunctionDef…
35 0 Open
Git + Python medium

Find the Commit That Introduced a String in Git History Using Python

Use git log -S with Python subprocess to find the earliest commit that introduced a specific string across your repository history.

git subprocess repository
Python
import subprocess
import sys


def find_introducing_commit(repo_path: str, search_string: str, file_glob: str = "*") -> str:
    """Find the first commit that introduced a given string in a git repository."""
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "-C", repo_path, "log", "--all", "--oneline", "-S", search_string…
12 0 Open
Modern tooling medium

How to Mock CLI Output in Typer with unittest.mock

Mock and capture Typer CLI output using unittest.mock.patch and io.StringIO for testing command-line applications.

typer cli testing
Python
import typer
from unittest.mock import patch
import io

app = typer.Typer()

@app.command()
def greet(name: str, age: int = 18, uppercase: bool = False):
    """Greet a person with optional formatting."""
    message = f"Hello {name}, age {age}"
    if uppercase:
        message = message.upper()
    typer.echo(messag…
11 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Test Properties with Random Inputs in Python

Write a simple property-based test in Python using random string generation to verify that string invariants like reverse-twice identity and uppercase idempotence always hold.

property-based-testing random testing
Python
import random
import string


def generate_random_string(length: int) -> str:
    """Generate a random alphanumeric string of given length."""
    chars = string.ascii_letters + string.digits
    return "".join(random.choice(chars) for _ in range(length))


def reverse_twice_is_identity(s: str) -> bool:
    """Propert…
12 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Use Hypothesis Strategies for Lists of Text in Python

Generate random lists of non-empty strings with Hypothesis and verify that joining them with a comma-and-space separator meets expected length and containment invariants.

hypothesis property-based-testing strategies
Python
from hypothesis import given, strategies as st
from hypothesis import example


@given(st.lists(st.text(min_size=1, max_size=10), min_size=1, max_size=5))
def test_joined_string_length(items):
    """Each text is non-empty; a joined string should be at least as long
    as the number of items (separator adds character…
13 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Filter Query Parameters by Operator in Python

Parse a URL query string and keep only parameters with allowed comparison operators like eq, gt, and lt.

query-parsing url api
Python
from urllib.parse import urlparse, parse_qs

def filter_operators(query_string, allowed=("eq", "gt", "lt")):
    parsed = urlparse(query_string)
    params = parse_qs(parsed.query)
    filtered = {}
    for key, values in params.items():
        if "__" in key:
            field, op = key.rsplit("__", 1)
            i…
12 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

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How to use this library

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  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.