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Copy-ready Python snippets by topic and difficulty — short, focused, and runnable in the browser editor.
How to Get Git Status and Log in Python
A beginner-friendly helper that runs git status and git log from Python using subprocess, with safe handling for non-repo directories.
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
def git_status(path: str = ".") -> str:
"""Return the current git status as a string."""
result = subprocess.run(
["git", "status", "--short"],
cwd=path,
capture_output=True,
text=True
)
return result.stdout.strip() or "No cha…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.
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…How to Mirror a Bare Git Repository Backup in Python
Run a git clone --bare subprocess to create a timestamped bare-repo backup folder with error handling.
import subprocess
import shlex
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime
def mirror_bare_repo(source_url: str, backup_dir: str) -> str:
"""Mirror a bare git repository to a timestamped backup folder."""
backup_path = Path(backup_dir)
backup_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
timest…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.
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…How to Mock Git Pre-commit Hooks (black and ruff) in Python
Mock subprocess to test black and ruff pre-commit commands without actually running them, verifying exit codes.
import sys
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch
def run_hook(command: list[str]) -> int:
with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
mock_run.return_value.returncode = 0
mock_run.return_value.stdout = f"Mocked: {' '.join(command)}"
result = subprocess.run(command, capture_output…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.
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…How to Mock subprocess.run in Python Tests
Mock subprocess.run to test a Git submodule update command without executing it in your test suite.
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
def update_submodules():
subprocess.run(["git", "submodule", "update", "--init", "--recursive"], check=True)
with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
mock_run.return_value = Mock(returncode=0)
update_submodules()
mock_run.assert_called_once_wit…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.
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 = …How to Push Git Tags to a Remote with Python
Push specified git tags (or all tags) to a remote repository using Python's subprocess module with error handling.
import subprocess
import sys
def push_tags_to_remote(remote: str = "origin", tags: list[str] | None = None) -> None:
"""
Push git tags to a remote repository.
If no tags are given, push all local tags.
"""
if tags:
subprocess.run(["git", "push", remote, *tags], check=True)
else:
…How to Run Git Commands from Python with subprocess
This helper runs `git status --short` and `git log --oneline` from Python, captures their output, and returns readable strings with error handling for non-repo directories.
import subprocess
def git_status():
"""Return a short, human-readable git status."""
try:
output = subprocess.run(
["git", "status", "--short"],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
check=True,
).stdout.strip()
return output if output else "W…How to Squash Commits Range into One in Python
A mock script that displays the last N git commits as a single squashed commit, showing original commit subjects.
import subprocess
import re
def squash_last_commits(count):
"""Mock squashing the last N commits into one by display."""
git_log = subprocess.run(
["git", "log", f"-{count}", "--pretty=format:%h %s"],
capture_output=True, text=True
)
if git_log.returncode != 0:
return "Git comm…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.
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…How to sync a fork with upstream in Python
Run git fetch and merge commands from Python with subprocess to sync a forked repository with upstream/main.
import subprocess
import sys
def sync_fork_with_upstream():
"""Simulate syncing a forked repo with upstream via git commands."""
# Mock git operations: pretend to fetch from upstream and merge into main
fetch_result = subprocess.run(
["git", "fetch", "upstream"],
capture_output=True, tex…Show Blame Line Author with subprocess in Python
This Python script runs git blame --line-porcelain via subprocess and counts how many lines each author owns in a file.
import subprocess
from collections import Counter
def get_blame_authors(file_path):
"""Extract author names from git blame output using subprocess."""
result = subprocess.run(
["git", "blame", "--line-porcelain", file_path],
capture_output=True,
text=True,
check=True,
)
…Build a Recipe Runner Mock in Python
A Python script that mocks a command runner recipe system: maps recipe names to shell commands, executes them with subprocess, and prints the output and exit code.
import subprocess
import sys
def run_recipe(recipe: str) -> None:
"""Simulate a command runner recipe by printing the command and exit code."""
print(f"Running recipe: {recipe}")
result = subprocess.run(recipe, shell=True, capture_output=True, text=True)
print(f"Exit code: {result.returncode}")
i…How to Create a Mock Virtualenv with an Activation Script in Python
Create a mock virtualenv directory with a generated bash activation script using Python's standard library.
import os
import subprocess
import sys
from pathlib import Path
def mock_virtualenv(name: str = "myenv") -> Path:
"""Create a mock virtualenv directory and activation script."""
env_dir = Path(name)
env_dir.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
(env_dir / "bin").mkdir(exist_ok=True)
activate_script = f"""#!/bin/…How to Mock Commitizen Version Bump in Python
Simulate commitizen's version bump logic and mock the subprocess call to avoid real execution in tests.
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch, MagicMock
def bump_version(current_version: str, increment: str = "patch") -> str:
"""Simulate commitizen's version bump logic."""
major, minor, patch = map(int, current_version.split("."))
if increment == "major":
major += 1
minor = 0
…How to Mock a Fast uv pip sync in Python
Simulate a fast uv pip sync by mocking file operations and subprocess calls to test dependency installation workflows.
import os
import shutil
import subprocess
import sys
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
def uv_pip_sync_fast_install_mock(requirements_text: str) -> dict:
"""Simulate a fast uv pip sync by mocking file operations and subprocess calls."""
mock_dir = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp(prefix="uv_mock_"))
req_lines…How to Mock a pipx Install Command in Python
Simulate a pipx install step by validating tool names and printing the exact command output a real pipx run would produce.
import subprocess
import sys
def install_with_pipx(tool_name: str) -> str:
"""
Mock a pipx install step by validating the tool name and
simulating the installation command output.
"""
allowed_tools = {"black", "flake8", "mypy", "ruff"}
if tool_name not in allowed_tools:
raise ValueErr…How to Mock subprocess.run for Black Formatter in Python
Use unittest.mock to simulate subprocess.run calls in a Python function that runs the Black formatter, allowing isolated testing without executing external commands.
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
def run_black_formatter(file_path: str, check_only: bool = False) -> dict:
"""Run black formatter on a file via subprocess."""
cmd = ["black", "--check" if check_only else "-", file_path]
result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
…Makefile Targets for lint, test, and build in Python
This Python script defines common Makefile targets (lint, test, build) as subprocess commands, printing each target's command and executing them with error checking.
import subprocess
TARGETS = {
"lint": ["ruff", "check", "."],
"test": ["pytest", "-q"],
"build": ["python", "-m", "build"],
}
def run(target: str) -> None:
if target not in TARGETS:
raise ValueError(f"Unknown target: {target}")
print(f"Running {target}...")
subprocess.run(TARGETS[tar…How to Mock subprocess.run returncode in Python
Simulate subprocess.run return codes in tests with unittest.mock.patch and CompletedProcess.
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch
def run_command(cmd):
result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
return result.returncode
if __name__ == "__main__":
with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
# Simulate a successful command (returncode 0)
mock_run.retu…How to Run an Integration Test with Docker Compose Mock in Python
Run a Python integration test against a docker-compose environment, using mocks to simulate service health and business logic responses.
import subprocess
import json
from typing import Dict
def run_integration_test() -> Dict[str, str]:
"""
Simulates an integration test against a docker-compose environment
using a mock service that returns canned responses.
"""
# Mock docker-compose environment check
env_ready = subprocess.run(…How to Check an External Gateway vs Use an Internal Mock in Python
This code checks whether an external network gateway is reachable using ping, then falls back to a deterministic internal mock for testing environments.
import subprocess
import sys
def check_external_gateway():
"""True if we can reach an external network target."""
try:
subprocess.run(
["ping", "-c", "1", "-W", "2", "8.8.8.8"],
capture_output=True,
timeout=3,
check=True,
)
return True
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