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Copy-ready Python snippets by topic and difficulty — short, focused, and runnable in the browser editor.
Automatically Detect Weak Passwords from Large Password Lists in Python
This Python script identifies weak passwords from a list by checking length, common patterns, sequential characters, and uniform characters, returning those that fail the security checks.
import re
COMMON_PASSWORDS_FILE = "common_passwords.txt"
def is_weak(password):
# Check length
if len(password) < 8:
return True
# Check for common patterns
if password.lower() in {"password", "123456", "qwerty", "letmein", "admin", "welcome"}:
return True
# Check for sequential c…
How to Detect PII in Documents Using Python
Use regex patterns to automatically detect emails, phone numbers, SSNs, and credit card numbers in text documents.
import re
from typing import List, Dict
def detect_pii(text: str) -> Dict[str, List[str]]:
patterns = {
"email": r"[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}",
"phone": r"\(?\d{3}\)?[-.\s]?\d{3}[-.\s]?\d{4}",
"ssn": r"\b\d{3}-\d{2}-\d{4}\b",
"credit_card": r"\b\d{4}[- ]?\d{4}[-…
Validate email format with regex in Python
A Python function using a regex pattern to validate simple email formats, returning True or False for each input.
import re
def is_valid_email(email):
pattern = r'^[A-Za-z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Za-z0-9.-]+\.[A-Za-z]{2,}$'
return bool(re.match(pattern, email))
if __name__ == "__main__":
test_emails = [
"user@example.com",
"first.last@sub.domain.org",
"invalid-email",
"user@.com",
"user@…
How to Sort a List of Dictionaries by Key with a Lambda in Python
Sort a list of dictionaries ascending or descending by one of their keys using sorted() with a lambda as the key function — a beginner-friendly pattern.
def get_students():
return [
{"name": "alice", "score": 85},
{"name": "bob", "score": 92},
{"name": "carol", "score": 78},
{"name": "dave", "score": 92},
]
students = get_students()
sorted_by_score = sorted(students, key=lambda s: s["score"])
print("Sorted by score (ascending)…
How to Use a Dispatch Table in Python (Map Strings to Functions)
Maps string command names to callable functions in a dictionary, then dispatches calls safely with error handling.
def add(a, b):
return a + b
def subtract(a, b):
return a - b
def multiply(a, b):
return a * b
def divide(a, b):
if b == 0:
raise ValueError("Division by zero")
return a / b
dispatch = {
"add": add,
"subtract": subtract,
"multiply": multiply,
"divide": divide,
}
def…
How to Handle ValueError with try except in Python
Shows a beginner-friendly try/except pattern that catches ValueError when converting text to an integer, prints a helpful message, and returns None instead of crashing.
def parse_number(text):
try:
return int(text)
except ValueError:
print(f"ValueError: '{text}' is not a valid integer.")
return None
if __name__ == "__main__":
user_input = "abc"
result = parse_number(user_input)
print(f"Parsing '{user_input}' returned: {result}")
vali…
How to Return Success or Error as a Tuple in Python (Result Type Pattern)
Use a (bool, value) tuple as a lightweight Result type to return either a successful result or a descriptive error message from a Python function.
def divide(dividend: float, divisor: float) -> tuple[bool, float | str]:
"""Return (True, result) on success, (False, error_message) on failure."""
if divisor == 0:
return False, "Error: Division by zero"
return True, dividend / divisor
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Success case
success, r…
How to Test Exceptions in Python with pytest.raises
Learn the pytest.raises pattern to assert that specific exceptions are raised and validate their messages.
import pytest
def divide(a: int, b: int) -> float:
if b == 0:
raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero")
return a / b
def test_divide_by_zero_raises():
with pytest.raises(ValueError, match="Cannot divide by zero"):
divide(10, 0)
def test_divide_by_zero_raises_exact_match():
with py…
How to Use Optional Return in Python Instead of Raising Exceptions
A Python function returns None for missing dictionary keys instead of raising KeyError, enabling graceful lookup handling with type hints.
from typing import Optional
def find_user(users: dict, user_id: int) -> Optional[dict]:
"""
Look up a user by ID. Returns the user dict if found,
otherwise returns None instead of raising KeyError.
"""
return users.get(user_id)
def main() -> None:
users = {
1: {"name": "Alice", "ema…
How to Validate an Email Address and Raise ValueError in Python
This code defines a validate_email function that checks an email address against a regex pattern and several rules, raising ValueError with a specific reason when invalid.
import re
def validate_email(email: str) -> str:
"""Validate an email address and return it if valid, otherwise raise ValueError."""
if not isinstance(email, str):
raise ValueError("Email must be a string")
if len(email) > 254:
raise ValueError("Email length exceeds 254 characters")
#…
Implement circuit breaker open after failures demo in Python
A minimal CircuitBreaker class that calls a function and automatically 'opens' after a set number of consecutive failures, blocking further calls with a RuntimeError.
import time
from datetime import datetime
class CircuitBreaker:
def __init__(self, threshold=3):
self.threshold = threshold
self.failure_count = 0
self.is_open = False
def call(self, func, *args, **kwargs):
if self.is_open:
raise RuntimeError("Circuit is OPEN")
…
How to List Files Matching a Glob Pattern in Python
Uses pathlib.Path.glob to find and sort all files matching a glob pattern like *.py in a directory.
from pathlib import Path
def list_files_matching(pattern: str, directory: str = ".") -> list[str]:
"""Return sorted list of file paths matching the glob pattern in a directory."""
return sorted(Path(directory).glob(pattern))
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Example: list all .py files in current directory
…
Group Data by Key in Python with Dictionaries and Sets
Group items into a dictionary of sets using a key function, a beginner-friendly pattern for organizing data by categories.
def group_data(items, key_func):
"""Group items into a dictionary of sets based on a key function."""
grouped = {}
for item in items:
key = key_func(item)
if key not in grouped:
grouped[key] = set()
grouped[key].add(item)
return grouped
if __name__ == "__main__":
…
Borg pattern shared state in Python
Implement the Borg pattern to share state across class instances by assigning a class-level dictionary to each instance's __dict__.
class Borg:
_shared_state = {}
def __init__(self):
self.__dict__ = Borg._shared_state
class ConfigManager(Borg):
def __init__(self):
super().__init__()
if not hasattr(self, "settings"):
self.settings = {}
def set(self, key, value):
self.settings[key] = va…
Bridge Pattern in Python: Separate Abstraction from Implementation
Implement the Bridge design pattern in Python so that an abstraction (remote control) can operate on different device implementations independently.
class RemoteControl:
"""Abstraction: controls a device without knowing implementation details."""
def __init__(self, device):
self.device = device
def toggle_power(self):
if self.device.is_enabled():
self.device.disable()
return "Power off"
else:
…
Composable Predicates with the &, |, ~ Operators in Python
Define a reusable Predicate class that combines boolean checks with & (AND), | (OR), and ~ (NOT) operators.
class Predicate:
def __init__(self, func, name=None):
self.func = func
self.name = name or getattr(func, "__name__", "predicate")
def __call__(self, value):
return self.func(value)
def __and__(self, other):
return Predicate(lambda v: self(v) and other(v), f"({self.name} AN…
Composition over Inheritance: How to Build a Wallet Account in Python
Demonstrates composition by wrapping a WalletAccount class in an AuditedWallet decorator-like class to add behavior without changing the original class.
class WalletAccount:
def __init__(self, owner, balance=0.0):
self.owner = owner
self.balance = balance
def deposit(self, amount):
if amount <= 0:
raise ValueError("Deposit must be positive")
self.balance += amount
return self.balance
def withdraw(self, …
How to Build a Fluent Interface with the Builder Pattern in Python
Learn to implement a fluent builder pattern in Python by chaining methods that return self, enabling readable object construction.
class Pizza:
def __init__(self):
self.size = None
self.toppings = []
self.crust = None
def set_size(self, size):
self.size = size
return self
def add_topping(self, topping):
self.toppings.append(topping)
return self
def set_crust(self, crust):
…
How to Implement a Singleton Class in Python
This code demonstrates a classic Singleton pattern in Python by overriding __new__ to ensure only one instance of the class is created, even when instantiated multiple times.
class Singleton:
_instance = None
def __new__(cls):
if cls._instance is None:
cls._instance = super().__new__(cls)
return cls._instance
def __init__(self):
self.value = 0
if __name__ == "__main__":
s1 = Singleton()
s2 = Singleton()
s1.value = 42
print…
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.
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…
How to Implement the Decorator Pattern in Python to Add Behavior
This Python code demonstrates the decorator pattern by wrapping a function to add logging behavior without modifying the original function.
import functools
def logger(func):
@functools.wraps(func)
def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
print(f"Calling {func.__name__} with {args} {kwargs}")
result = func(*args, **kwargs)
print(f"{func.__name__} returned {result}")
return result
return wrapper
@logger
def add(a, b):
…
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.
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…
How to Lazy Load an Expensive Attribute with a Proxy in Python
This code shows a Proxy class that lazily loads an ExpensiveResource only when first accessed, caching it for subsequent uses.
class ExpensiveResource:
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name
print(f"Expensive resource '{name}' created (e.g., DB connection)")
def use(self):
return f"Using {self.name}"
class Proxy:
def __init__(self, name):
self._name = name
self._resource = None
@p…
How to Use abstractmethod in Python
Define an abstract base class with abstract methods to enforce a common interface across subclasses.
import abc
class Shape(abc.ABC):
@abc.abstractmethod
def area(self):
"""Calculate area of the shape."""
@abc.abstractmethod
def perimeter(self):
"""Calculate perimeter of the shape."""
class Rectangle(Shape):
def __init__(self, width, height):
self.width = width
s…
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