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Python Code Samples

Copy-ready Python snippets by topic and difficulty — short, focused, and runnable in the browser editor.

308 matches
Data pipelines & processing easy

ETL in Python: Extract CSV, Transform Dict, Load JSON

Build a simple ETL pipeline in Python that reads a CSV file, transforms each row (stripping whitespace and converting numeric fields), and writes the result to JSON.

etl csv json
Python
import csv
import json
from pathlib import Path

def extract_csv(file_path):
    """Read CSV file and return list of row dictionaries."""
    with Path(file_path).open('r', newline='', encoding='utf-8') as f:
        reader = csv.DictReader(f)
        return list(reader)

def transform_dicts(rows):
    """Transform ro…
15 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Generate a Deterministic Hash for Deduplication in Python

Create a stable SHA-256 fingerprint from nested data and file contents to deduplicate records in a data pipeline.

hashing deduplication sha256
Python
import hashlib
import json
from pathlib import Path

def natural_key_hash(data, salt=""):
    """
    Generate a deterministic fingerprint from raw data (dict/list/str).
    Uses JSON canonical-ish serialization with sorted keys and SHA-256.
    """
    canonical = json.dumps(data, sort_keys=True, separators=(",", ":"…
16 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Build Data Processing Functions in Python

Create reusable helper functions to load, filter, transform, and aggregate CSV data in Python.

csv pipeline etl
Python
import csv
from pathlib import Path


def load_data(filepath):
    """Load CSV data into a list of dicts."""
    with open(filepath, "r", newline="", encoding="utf-8") as f:
        return list(csv.DictReader(f))


def filter_rows(rows, column, value):
    """Keep rows where column equals value."""
    return [row for…
13 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Compress Pipeline Output Gzip Per Partition in Python

Compress each partition of pipeline output into a separate gzip file and verify the compressed data by reading it back.

gzip compression pipeline
Python
import gzip
import io
import random
from pathlib import Path


def compress_partition(partition_data: list[str], output_path: Path) -> int:
    """Compress a partition of data to a gzip file, returns bytes written."""
    with gzip.open(output_path, 'wt', encoding='utf-8') as f:
        f.writelines(partition_data)
  …
14 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Count JSON Records in Python

Read a JSON file and count the number of top-level records, handling both list and dictionary structures.

json counting file-reading
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path

def count_records(json_file):
    """Count top-level records in a JSON file."""
    with open(json_file, "r") as f:
        data = json.load(f)
    
    # Handle both list of records and dict of records
    if isinstance(data, list):
        return len(data)
    elif isinstance(da…
13 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Partition Output Files by Date Key in Python

Group output files into a dictionary partitioned by a YYYYMMDD date key extracted from the filename prefix.

file-partitioning date-key pathlib
Python
from pathlib import Path
from collections import defaultdict

def partition_files_by_date(directory: str) -> dict:
    """Partition output files by date key extracted from filename (YYYYMMDD prefix)."""
    path = Path(directory)
    partitions = defaultdict(list)
    
    for file in path.iterdir():
        if file.i…
15 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Process CSV Data in Python with a Data Helper

Build a beginner-friendly data helper in Python that loads a CSV file, filters rows by a condition, and summarizes numeric fields.

csv data-processing pathlib
Python
import csv
from pathlib import Path

DATA = [
    {"name": "Alice", "score": 88, "passed": True},
    {"name": "Bob", "score": 42, "passed": False},
    {"name": "Carol", "score": 95, "passed": True},
]


def load_csv(file_path: Path) -> list[dict]:
    with file_path.open(newline="", encoding="utf-8") as f:
        r…
14 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

How to Stream a Large JSONL File Line by Line in Python

Process a large JSON-lines file incrementally using streaming techniques to avoid loading the entire file into memory.

streaming jsonl large-files
Python
import json

def process_large_file(filepath, chunk_size=8192):
    """
    Stream a large JSON-lines file line by line, processing each record
    without loading the entire file into memory.
    """
    total_count = 0
    total_sum = 0
    
    with open(filepath, 'r') as f:
        while True:
            chunk = …
14 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

How to Validate Fact Table Grain Row Counts in Python

Validate fact table grain by checking dimension key references, unique grain combinations, duplicate rows, and dimension cardinality from a CSV file.

csv data validation etl
Python
import csv
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path


def validate_fact_grain(fact_file: Path, expected_dim_keys: dict[str, set[str]]) -> dict:
    """
    Validate fact table grain by checking each row's dimension keys exist
    in expected dimension tables and row count consistency.
    """
    dim_references = {}
  …
13 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to create a dated snapshot path for a dataset in Python

Generate a versioned directory path combining a base directory, dataset name, and today's date, ready for creating snapshots in data pipelines.

date pathlib datasets
Python
import datetime
import os
from pathlib import Path


def snapshot_path(base_dir: str, dataset_name: str) -> Path:
    """Return a dated snapshot path for a dataset under a base directory."""
    today = datetime.date.today().isoformat()
    return Path(base_dir) / dataset_name / today


if __name__ == "__main__":
    …
16 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Trigger a Pipeline When a New File Appears in a Directory

Poll a directory every 0.5 seconds and return the name of the first new file that appears, or None after a timeout.

polling filesystem file-watcher
Python
import time
from pathlib import Path


def watch_for_file(directory: str, interval: float = 0.5, timeout: float = 10.0) -> str | None:
    """Poll a directory and trigger when a new file appears."""
    watch_dir = Path(directory)
    watch_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
    
    known_files = set(watch_dir.iterdir())
    s…
13 0 Open
Git + Python easy

Detect Merge Conflict Markers in a File with Python

Scan a file line by line to detect Git merge conflict markers (<<<<<<<, =======, >>>>>>>) and report their line numbers with context.

git merge-conflict file-scanning
Python
from pathlib import Path

def detect_merge_conflicts(file_path):
    conflicts = []
    with open(file_path, 'r') as f:
        lines = f.readlines()
    
    for i, line in enumerate(lines, 1):
        if line.startswith('<<<<<<<'):
            conflict_marker = 'conflict start'
            conflicts.append((i, confl…
16 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Archive a Repository as a ZIP in Python

Create a ZIP archive of a repository directory with a mock export, skipping hidden files and __pycache__ folders.

zipfile os.walk archiving
Python
import zipfile
import io
import os
from pathlib import Path


def archive_repo_mock(repo_path, output_path="repo_archive.zip"):
    """Create a zip archive of a repository directory (mock export)."""
    repo = Path(repo_path)
    if not repo.exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Repository not found: {repo}")

…
13 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Filter Git History to Remove Secret File Entries in Python

A pure-Python mock that filters a repository's history to drop any commit that touched a secret file, so you can plan a cleanup before rewriting Git history.

git secrets history
Python
from pathlib import Path
import json

def filter_history(history, secret_path):
    """Remove entries that touch the secret file."""
    return [entry for entry in history if secret_path not in entry["files"]]

if __name__ == "__main__":
    repo_history = [
        {"commit": "a1b2c3", "message": "Add app", "files": …
12 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Format Git Patch Series as an MBOX File in Python

Generate a patch-series mbox file from commit metadata with numbered [PATCH nnn/nnn] subjects and a Git-style footer.

git mbox patch-series
Python
import re
from pathlib import Path


def format_patch_series_mbox(commits, output_path="series.mbox"):
    entries = []
    for idx, commit in enumerate(commits, start=1):
        subject = commit["subject"]
        author = commit["author"]
        email = commit["email"]
        date = commit["date"]
        body = …
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Generate Git LFS Extension Patterns in Python

This script builds mock Git LFS file patterns for common geospatial extensions and filters them based on compression suffixes.

git lfs geospatial
Python
import itertools
import re

LFS_EXTENSIONS = {".csv", ".geojson", ".tif", ".shp", ".gpkg"}

def build_mock_lfs_pattern(base_name="data_usgs_lidar"):
    patterns = []
    for ext in sorted(LFS_EXTENSIONS):
        for variant in (("", ".lz4"), (".compressed",), (".b", ".a"), ("_v1", ".zip")):
            full_pattern …
14 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to List Changed Files in the Last Git Commit with Python

Runs `git diff --name-only HEAD~1 HEAD` via subprocess to list the names of files changed in the most recent commit.

git subprocess automation
Python
import subprocess

def list_changed_files():
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "diff", "--name-only", "HEAD~1", "HEAD"],
        capture_output=True,
        text=True,
        check=True
    )
    files = result.stdout.strip().splitlines()
    return files

if __name__ == "__main__":
    changed = list_cha…
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Mock Git Clean Dry Run in Python

Simulate the output of `git clean -n` in Python to preview which untracked files would be removed without actually deleting them.

git clean dry-run
Python
import subprocess
import sys

def mock_git_clean_dry_run(untracked_files):
    """Simulate `git clean -n` for a given list of untracked files."""
    if not untracked_files:
        print("No untracked files to remove.")
        return

    print("Would remove:")
    for file in untracked_files:
        print(f"  {fil…
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Mock Git Worktree Creation in Python

Create a mock Git worktree setup with parallel branch directories and state files for testing or simulation.

git worktree mock
Python
import os
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path

def create_mock_worktree(base_dir: Path, branches: list[str]) -> dict[str, Path]:
    """
    Mock Git worktree creation: creates parallel directories for each branch
    under the base directory, simulating independent worktrees.
    """
    worktrees = {}
    for b…
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Mock git sparse-checkout Paths in Python

Simulates git sparse-checkout configuration by writing desired paths to the sparse-checkout file without running git commands.

git sparse-checkout mocking
Python
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile


def configure_sparse_checkout(repo_dir: Path, paths: list[str]) -> list[str]:
    """Simulate sparse checkout configuration by returning the paths that would be set."""
    sparse_checkout_file = repo_dir / ".git" / "info" / "sparse-checkout"
    sparse_chec…
11 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Mock open() in Python Using unittest.mock.patch

This code shows how to use unittest.mock.patch with mock_open to test a function that checks if a Git patch can be reverse-applied by reading file content.

unittest mocking git
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch, mock_open


def apply_reverse_check(file_path, expected_patch):
    """
    Check if a patch can be reverse-applied by comparing file content
    with the expected patch's reverse result.
    """
    try:
        with open(file_path, "r") as f:
            content = f.r…
16 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Parse git status --porcelain Output in Python

This code runs `git status --porcelain` and parses its output into a list of dictionaries with file paths and status descriptions.

git subprocess parsing
Python
import subprocess

def parse_git_status_porcelain():
    try:
        output = subprocess.check_output(
            ["git", "status", "--porcelain"], 
            text=True, 
            stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL
        )
    except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, FileNotFoundError):
        return []

    entries = …
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Stage All Modified Files with git add -u in Python

Runs git add -u from Python to stage all modified and deleted tracked files, then prints the short status.

git subprocess automation
Python
import subprocess


def stage_all_modified_files(repo_path="."):
    """Run git add -u to stage all modified and deleted tracked files."""
    result = subprocess.run(
        ["git", "add", "-u"],
        cwd=repo_path,
        capture_output=True,
        text=True,
    )
    if result.returncode != 0:
        print…
16 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to detect secrets in git history with Python

Scan a git history export file for common secret patterns using regex and Python.

git secrets security
Python
import re
from pathlib import Path


def scan_history_for_secrets(history_file: str) -> list:
    """Scan a git history export for potential secrets using regex patterns."""
    patterns = {
        "AWS Access Key": r"AKIA[0-9A-Z]{16}",
        "GitHub Token": r"gh[pousr]_[0-9A-Za-z]{36,255}",
        "Private Key": …
13 0 Open

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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.