Python Code
Samples
Copy-ready Python snippets by topic and difficulty — short, focused, and runnable in the browser editor.
How to Use TypedDict for Data Validation in Python
Define a TypedDict schema and validate raw dictionary input with type hints for safer, more readable data handling.
from typing import Any, Dict, List, Optional, Union, TypedDict, Literal
class Product(TypedDict):
product_id: int
name: str
price: Union[int, float]
in_stock: bool
tags: Optional[List[str]]
def validate_product(data: Dict[str, Any]) -> Product:
product_id: int = int(data["product_id"])
na…How to Use TypedDict for Structured Dict Typing in Python
Define and use TypedDict to add type hints to dictionaries, improving code clarity and enabling static type checking in your Python projects.
from typing import TypedDict
class User(TypedDict):
name: str
age: int
email: str
def greet(user: User) -> str:
return f"Hello {user['name']}, age {user['age']}, contact {user['email']}"
if __name__ == "__main__":
alice: User = {"name": "Alice", "age": 30, "email": "alice@example.com"}
pr…How to Use Union Type Hints in Python
This code demonstrates how to use Union type hints to specify that a parameter can accept multiple types (int, float, str) and handle them accordingly.
from typing import Union
def process_value(value: Union[int, float, str]) -> str:
if isinstance(value, (int, float)):
return f"Number: {value * 2}"
return f"String: {value.upper()}"
if __name__ == "__main__":
print(process_value(10))
print(process_value(3.14))
print(process_value("hello"))How to Use mock.assert_called_with in Python
Verify that a MagicMock received a call with specific positional and keyword arguments using assert_called_with in unittest.
import unittest
from unittest.mock import MagicMock
class TestMockAssertions(unittest.TestCase):
def test_assert_called_with(self):
# Create a mock object
mock = MagicMock()
# Call the mock with specific arguments
mock.send_email("alice@example.com", subject="Greetings", body="Hel…How to Use setUp and tearDown in Python unittest TestCase
Demonstrates how to structure unit tests with setUp and tearDown methods in Python's unittest framework for reusable test fixtures.
import unittest
class ExampleTest(unittest.TestCase):
def setUp(self):
self.data = [1, 2, 3]
def tearDown(self):
self.data = None
def test_length(self):
self.assertEqual(len(self.data), 3)
def test_contains(self):
self.assertIn(2, self.data)
if __name__ == "__main…How to Use the pytest tmp_path Fixture for Temporary Directories
Use pytest's built-in tmp_path fixture to create a unique temporary directory per test for clean file I/O testing.
import pytest
def test_write_and_read_file(tmp_path):
# tmp_path is a pytest fixture that provides a temporary directory
# unique to each test invocation
data_file = tmp_path / "data.txt"
data_file.write_text("hello world")
assert data_file.read_text() == "hello world"
def test_multiple_tmp_pat…How to Validate Data in Python with Typing Hints
Build a runtime validation helper that checks values against Python type hints like Optional, list, and basic types.
from typing import Any, Optional, Union, TypeVar, get_origin, get_args
T = TypeVar("T")
def validate(value: Any, expected_type: type) -> Optional[str]:
"""Returns an error message if value doesn't match expected_type, else None."""
# Handle Optional[...] types
origin = get_origin(expected_type)
if or…How to Validate Dataclass Fields with Python Type Hints
A beginner-friendly helper that checks if instance attributes match their declared type hints using dataclasses and get_type_hints.
from typing import Any, TypeVar, get_type_hints
from dataclasses import dataclass
T = TypeVar("T")
@dataclass
class User:
name: str
age: int
email: str
def validate_fields(obj: Any) -> dict[str, bool]:
"""Check if object attributes match declared type hints."""
hints = get_type_hints(obj.__class…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)
…How to Write a Contract Test with Mock in Python
Use unittest.mock to verify a consumer's expectations match the provider's response shape in a Python contract test.
from unittest.mock import Mock
# Contract test: verify consumer expects data shape that provider delivers.
# We mock the provider and assert the consumer's calls match the agreed contract.
def fetch_user(provider_client, user_id):
"""Consumer code: expects provider to return {'id', 'name', 'email'}."""
respo…How to Write a Fast Smoke Test for a Critical Path in Python
A quick smoke test that validates the /health critical path executes fast enough, raising errors on wrong paths or slow responses.
import time
def smoke_test(path):
if path != "/health":
raise ValueError("Critical path expected /health")
start = time.perf_counter()
# Simulate the critical health check work
time.sleep(0.01)
elapsed = time.perf_counter() - start
if elapsed > 0.05:
raise RuntimeError("Health …How to Write a pytest Test Function with assert Equal in Python
Define simple pytest test functions that use assert to verify result equality and run them with pytest.main.
import pytest
def add(a, b):
return a + b
def test_add_positive_numbers():
result = add(2, 3)
assert result == 5
def test_add_negative_numbers():
result = add(-2, -3)
assert result == -5
def test_add_mixed_numbers():
result = add(2, -3)
assert result == -1
if __name__ == "__main__":
…How to Write pytest Test Function Assert Equal in Python
Write three pytest test functions that assert the result of an add() function equals an expected numeric value.
import pytest
def add(a, b):
return a + b
def test_add_positive_numbers():
assert add(2, 3) == 5
def test_add_negative_numbers():
assert add(-1, -2) == -3
def test_add_mixed_numbers():
assert add(5, -3) == 2
if __name__ == "__main__":
pytest.main([__file__, "-v"])How to freeze time in Python tests with freezegun
Use the freezegun decorator to freeze datetime.now() at a fixed timestamp so tests that depend on current time run deterministically.
from datetime import datetime
from freezegun import freeze_time
@freeze_time("2024-01-15 12:30:00")
def test_frozen_time():
now = datetime.now()
return now
if __name__ == "__main__":
result = test_frozen_time()
print(result)How to mark known bugs with pytest xfail in Python
Use @pytest.mark.xfail to mark tests that are expected to fail due to known bugs, with optional strict mode to control pass/fail behavior.
import pytest
def divide(a: int, b: int) -> float:
if b == 0:
raise ZeroDivisionError("Cannot divide by zero")
return a / b
@pytest.mark.xfail(reason="Known bug: division returns int instead of float", strict=False)
def test_divide_integer_division():
result = divide(10, 4)
assert isinstanc…How to use Optional type hint in Python
Use the Optional type hint to indicate a parameter can be a string or None, with an example function that handles both cases.
from typing import Optional
def greet(name: Optional[str]) -> str:
if name is None:
return "Hello, anonymous!"
else:
return f"Hello, {name}!"
if __name__ == "__main__":
print(greet("Alice"))
print(greet(None))How to use unittest mock side_effect with a sequence in Python
Demonstrates using Mock.side_effect with a list to return different values per call and raise an exception at a specific call in unittest.
import unittest
from unittest.mock import Mock
class TestMockSideEffectSequence(unittest.TestCase):
def test_side_effect_sequence(self):
mock = Mock()
mock.side_effect = [1, 2, 3, Exception("boom")]
self.assertEqual(mock(), 1)
self.assertEqual(mock(), 2)
self.asser…Use pytest fixture to mock a database connection in Python
This code shows how to use a pytest fixture and unittest.mock to replace a database connection with a Mock, enabling isolated tests without a real database.
import pytest
import sqlite3
from unittest.mock import Mock
class Database:
def __init__(self, connection):
self.connection = connection
def get_user(self, user_id):
cursor = self.connection.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = ?", (user_id,))
return cursor.…How to Aggregate Mock API Routes by Method in Python
Groups mock API routes by path and method, collecting response bodies and counts into a nested dictionary structure.
from collections import defaultdict
def aggregate_mock_routes(routes):
"""Aggregate mock API routes by method and aggregate their response bodies."""
aggregated = defaultdict(lambda: defaultdict(list))
for route in routes:
method = route["method"]
path = route["path"]
response = …How to Apply the Clean Architecture Dependency Rule in Python
Demonstrates the dependency rule with a Protocol repository, a use case, and a presenter wired together at a composition root.
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import List, Protocol
class Repository(Protocol):
def get_items(self) -> List[str]:
...
@dataclass
class InMemoryRepository:
items: List[str]
def get_items(self) -> List[str]:
return self.items
class UseCase:
"""Application layer depends…How to Build a Health Check System with Instance Up and Down Status in Python
Track instance health by marking them up or down and simulating health checks with a mock class in Python.
from datetime import datetime
import random
class HealthChecker:
def __init__(self):
self.status = {}
def mark_up(self, instance_id):
self.status[instance_id] = {
"state": "up",
"last_check": datetime.now().isoformat(),
"healthy": True
}
…How to Build a Pipe and Filter Text Processing Chain in Python
A functional pipe-and-filter chain that transforms text through uppercase, whitespace normalization, number removal, stopword filtering, and file export.
import re
import sys
def pipe_filter_chain(stream):
def uppercase(text):
return text.upper()
def strip_whitespace(text):
return " ".join(text.split())
def remove_numbers(text):
return re.sub(r"\d+", "", text)
def remove_stopwords(text, stopwords={"the", "and", "of", "in"}):…How to Build a Sidecar Logging Proxy in Python
Wrap any object with a proxy that transparently logs every method call, arguments, return value, and execution time to a file — mimicking a sidecar pattern.
import logging
import time
from datetime import datetime
class LoggingProxy:
"""Sidecar-style proxy that logs all calls to a wrapped object."""
def __init__(self, target, log_file="proxy.log"):
self._target = target
logging.basicConfig(
filename=log_file,
level=loggin…How to Build a Simple Service Discovery Registry in Python
A lightweight in-memory service registry class using a dict — register, deregister, and discover services with host, port, and version.
class ServiceRegistry:
def __init__(self):
self._services = {}
def register(self, name, host, port, version="1.0"):
self._services[name] = {
"host": host,
"port": port,
"version": version
}
def deregister(self, name):
return self._servic…Browse by section
Each section groups closely related Python snippets.
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
- Pick a topic section — strings, lists, files, functions, and more
- Open a sample, read How it works, and copy the code block
- 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.