Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

31 matches
Errors & debugging easy

Try Except ValueError in Python: Handle Conversion Errors

Catch ValueError exceptions when converting strings to integers or performing arithmetic, returning None on failure instead of crashing.

try-except valueerror exception
Python
def convert_to_int(value):
    try:
        return int(value)
    except ValueError as error:
        print(f"Conversion failed: {error}")
        print(f"Problem value was: {repr(value)}")
        return None


def divide_numbers(numerator, denominator):
    try:
        result = numerator / denominator
        retur…
14 0 Open
OOP & classes easy

How to define a custom exception class in Python with an error code attribute

Create a custom exception class with extra attributes like an error code, then raise and catch it in a try/except block.

exceptions classes error-handling
Python
class UserNotFoundError(Exception):
    def __init__(self, user_id, error_code=404):
        self.user_id = user_id
        self.error_code = error_code
        super().__init__(f"User with ID {user_id} was not found (error code: {error_code})")

def find_user(user_id, users_db):
    if user_id not in users_db:
      …
15 0 Open
Automation & scripting easy

How to Cross Post Markdown to dev.to API in Python

A Python function that POSTs markdown content to the dev.to API and handles HTTP or URLError exceptions with mock API testing.

api dev.to markdown
Python
import json
from urllib import request, error


def cross_post_to_devto(markdown_content, api_key, devto_api_url="https://dev.to/api/articles"):
    """
    Mock cross-posting of markdown content to the dev.to API.
    Returns the API response or an error message.
    """
    payload = json.dumps({
        "article": …
11 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

Graceful Shutdown Executor Context Manager in Python

A context manager that starts a background thread and ensures it stops gracefully on exit, handling timeouts and exceptions.

threading context-manager graceful-shutdown
Python
import signal
import threading
import time
from contextlib import contextmanager


@contextmanager
def graceful_shutdown_executor(timeout=5.0):
    """Context manager that runs a task and gracefully stops it on timeout or exception."""
    stop_event = threading.Event()

    def task():
        print("Task started")
 …
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Assert Exceptions in Python with pytest.raises

Use pytest.raises as a context manager to assert that a function raises an expected exception and inspect its message in pytest tests.

pytest testing exceptions
Python
import pytest

def divide(a, b):
    if b == 0:
        raise ValueError("Cannot divide by zero")
    return a / b

def test_divide_by_zero():
    with pytest.raises(ValueError) as exc_info:
        divide(10, 0)
    assert str(exc_info.value) == "Cannot divide by zero"
    assert "zero" in str(exc_info.value)

def te…
14 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting easy

How to Retry on Specific Exception Tuples in Python

A decorator-based retry pattern that retries a function only when it raises exceptions specified in a tuple, with configurable retries and delay.

retry decorator exceptions
Python
import time
import random
from unittest.mock import patch


def retry_on_exceptions(retries=3, exceptions=(ValueError,), delay=0.1):
    def decorator(func):
        def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
            for attempt in range(retries):
                try:
                    return func(*args, **kwargs)
          …
15 0 Open
Reliability & rate limiting medium

How to retry idempotent operations with a mock in Python

Wrap a flaky idempotent operation in a retry loop with exponential backoff, and use unittest.mock to deterministically test the str's behavior.

retry backoff mock
Python
import random
import time
from unittest.mock import Mock


def idempotent_operation(value):
    """Simulate an idempotent operation that sometimes fails."""
    if random.random() < 0.6:  # 60% failure rate
        raise ConnectionError("Temporary failure")
    return value * 2


def retry_with_backoff(operation, max_…
14 0 Open

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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.

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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.