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Copy-ready Python snippets by topic and difficulty — short, focused, and runnable in the browser editor.
How to Create a Mock Headless Browser Screenshot Stub in Python
This code provides a deterministic stub that simulates capturing webpage screenshots with a headless browser, returning formatted output without real browser dependencies.
import subprocess
import sys
def mock_screenshot_webpage(url: str, width: int = 1280, height: int = 800) -> str:
"""Stub that simulates taking a screenshot of a webpage using headless browser."""
# In real implementation, you would use playwright/selenium/headless chrome
result = {
"url": url,
…
How to Clean and Format Data in Python
This code loads JSON data, cleans records by removing empty fields and normalizing text, then summarizes the results with counts and unique keys.
import json
from pathlib import Path
def load_data(filepath: str) -> dict:
"""Load JSON data from a file."""
with Path(filepath).open("r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
return json.load(f)
def clean_records(records: list[dict]) -> list[dict]:
"""Remove empty fields and normalize text to lowercase."""…
How to Explode an Array Field into Multiple Rows in Python
This code flattens a list of dictionaries by exploding each array field value into its own row, duplicating the other fields as needed.
from collections import defaultdict
data = [
{"id": 1, "name": "Alice", "tags": ["python", "data", "ai"]},
{"id": 2, "name": "Bob", "tags": ["web", "devops"]},
{"id": 3, "name": "Carol", "tags": []},
]
def explode_array_field(records, array_field):
result = []
for record in records:
for v…
How to Hash Email Addresses in a PII Masking Pipeline in Python
Replaces every email address in a text string with its SHA-256 hash to protect personally identifiable information (PII).
import hashlib
import re
def hash_email(email: str) -> str:
"""Mask an email address by hashing it with SHA-256."""
normalized = email.strip().lower()
return hashlib.sha256(normalized.encode("utf-8")).hexdigest()
def mask_pii_emails(text: str) -> str:
"""Replace all email addresses in text with their…
How to Unpivot Wide to Long with pandas melt in Python
This code demonstrates how to use pandas.melt to unpivot a wide DataFrame into a tidy long format, converting subject columns into rows.
import pandas as pd
# Sample wide-format data
df_wide = pd.DataFrame({
'id': [1, 2, 3],
'name': ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie'],
'math': [90, 85, 95],
'science': [80, 92, 88]
})
print("Original wide DataFrame:")
print(df_wide)
# Melt: unpivot subject columns into rows
df_long = pd.melt(
df_wide,
…
Normalize Timestamps to UTC DateTime in Python
Convert timestamps in multiple formats to UTC-aware datetime objects using datetime.strptime and astimezone.
from datetime import datetime, timezone
raw_timestamps = [
"2024-01-15 14:30:00+02:00",
"17/05/2024 09:15:00 -0500",
"2024-03-01T22:45:00Z",
"2024-06-20 08:00:00+09:30"
]
def parse_and_convert(ts: str) -> datetime:
normalized_ts = ts.strip().replace("Z", "+00:00")
formats = [
"%Y-%m-%…
Pivot long to wide transformation dict
Transform a list of dictionaries from long format to wide format by pivoting on a key column and aggregating values, using pure Python.
def pivot_long_to_wide(rows, key_col, value_col, id_cols=None):
"""
Convert long-format data (list of dicts) to wide format.
Args:
rows: List of dicts in long format
key_col: Column name to pivot on (becomes new column headers)
value_col: Column name whose values become the cel…
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.
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 = …
How to Generate Release Notes from Git Commit Messages in Python
This script fetches recent Git commit messages using conventional commit prefixes (feat, fix, etc.), categorizes them, and prints formatted release notes with today's date.
import subprocess
import re
from datetime import datetime
def get_git_log(since_tag="HEAD~10", format_str="%s"):
"""Retrieve commit messages from git log."""
try:
result = subprocess.run(
["git", "log", f"--since={since_tag}", f"--format={format_str}"],
capture_output=True,
…
Generate Mock CloudFormation Stack Events in Python
Generate a list of mock AWS CloudFormation stack events with random resources, statuses, and timestamps, and print them as JSON.
import json
import random
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
def generate_mock_stack_events(stack_name="MyTestStack", num_events=10):
"""Generate a list of mock CloudFormation stack events."""
resources = [
("AWS::S3::Bucket", "MyBucket"),
("AWS::EC2::Instance", "MyInstance"),
("…
Mock CDK Synth Output in Python for Template Testing
Simulate AWS CDK synth output with MagicMock to test or preview CloudFormation templates without running a real CDK app.
import json
from unittest.mock import MagicMock
def mock_cdk_synth() -> dict:
"""Simulate AWS CDK synth output for a simple S3 bucket."""
cdk_app = MagicMock()
cdk_app.synth.return_value.template = {
"Resources": {
"MyBucket": {
"Type": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
…
Mock CloudWatch put_metric_data in Python
Simulate AWS CloudWatch put_metric_data with validation and formatted output for local testing without AWS.
import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone
def put_metric_data(namespace, metric_data_list):
"""
Mock AWS CloudWatch put_metric_data.
Validates and prints the metrics that would be sent.
"""
timestamp = datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat()
print(f"[MockCloudWatch] Received request …
How to Enforce Indentation Rules From .editorconfig in Python
A mock function that reads .editorconfig-style indentation rules (spaces or tabs, size) and fixes indentation in source code lines by tracking brace depth.
def enforce_indent(editorconfig_rules, file_content):
"""
Mock function to enforce indentation rules from .editorconfig.
Returns the content with indentation fixed (or unchanged if already compliant).
"""
indent_style = editorconfig_rules.get("indent_style", "spaces")
indent_size = int(editorco…
How to Format Data with Python's datetime and JSON Helpers
A beginner-friendly set of helper functions to format dates and safely read/write JSON files in Python.
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path
import json
def format_today(pattern: str = "%Y-%m-%d") -> str:
"""Return today's date formatted with the given pattern."""
return datetime.now().strftime(pattern)
def load_json(file_path: str) -> dict:
"""Read and parse a JSON file safely."""
…
How to Load and Inspect CSV Data with a Dataclass Helper in Python
This code defines a DataHelper dataclass that reads a CSV file into a list of dictionaries and prints basic dataset information.
from pathlib import Path
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Any
@dataclass
class DataHelper:
"""Simple helper for loading and inspecting CSV data."""
filepath: Path
def load_csv(self, *, delimiter: str = ",") -> list[dict[str, Any]]:
"""Read CSV into a list of dictionaries."""
…
How to Load and Save CSV and JSON Files in Python
A beginner-friendly data helper that loads or saves CSV and JSON files using only the Python standard library, with automatic format detection from the file extension.
from pathlib import Path
import json
import csv
def load_data(file_path):
"""Load CSV or JSON data from disk based on file extension."""
path = Path(file_path)
if path.suffix == ".json":
with path.open() as f:
return json.load(f)
elif path.suffix == ".csv":
with path.open(…
How to Mock a semantic-release Changelog in Python
This Python code simulates a semantic-release changelog generator, grouping commits by type and formatting them into a markdown changelog.
import json
from datetime import datetime
class SemanticReleaseChangelog:
def __init__(self, version, commits):
self.version = version
self.commits = commits
self.release_date = datetime.now().isoformat()
def generate_changelog(self):
grouped = {}
for commit in self.c…
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)
…
Mocking loguru for Structured Logging in Python
Simulate loguru's structured logging with a custom mock that captures JSON-formatted log entries with bound context.
import json
import sys
from io import StringIO
from unittest.mock import patch
def mock_loguru():
# Simulate a structured logger with context binding
class StructuredLogger:
def __init__(self):
self.context = {}
def bind(self, **kwargs):
logger = StructuredLogger()
…
Format Data with Type Hints in Python
Build a validated person dict with modern type hints and optional list handling.
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Union
JsonValue = Union[str, int, float, bool, None, List["JsonValue"], Dict[str, "JsonValue"]]
def format_person(name: str, age: int, hobbies: Optional[List[str]] = None) -> Dict[str, Any]:
"""Build a person dict with validated typing."""
if not name or age < 0:…
How to Verify Formatted Output with an Approval Test in Python
Write a small Python approval test that verifies a function's exact formatted output using unittest.
import sys
from io import StringIO
import unittest
def generate_output(name, score):
return f"Player: {name} | Score: {score:03d}"
class TestFormattedOutput(unittest.TestCase):
def test_output_format(self):
expected = "Player: Alice | Score: 042"
result = generate_output("Alice", 42)
…
Format data in Python using dataclasses like gRPC messages
Convert Python dataclasses to and from dicts and format them gRPC-style for clean data handling.
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional
@dataclass
class ProductInfo:
"""Data class representing a gRPC-style product message."""
name: str
price: float
tags: List[str]
description: Optional[str] = None
def to_dict(self) -> Dict[str, Any]:
"""C…
How to Create an RFC 7807 Error JSON in Python
Construct a structured error response using the RFC 7807 Problem Details format with a reusable function.
import json
from typing import Dict
def create_rfc7807_error(
type_: str,
title: str,
status: int,
detail: str,
instance: str,
extra_fields: Dict[str, object] | None = None,
) -> str:
"""
Build a JSON string following RFC 7807 Problem Details format.
"""
problem = {
"t…
How to Implement Content Negotiation with JSON and XML in Python
Build an HTTP server that returns JSON or XML responses based on the client's Accept header, with a 406 response for unsupported formats.
import json
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
class RequestHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
def do_GET(self):
data = {"message": "Hello, world!"}
accept_header = self.headers.get("Accept", "")
if "application/json" in accept_hea…
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