Reference library

Python Code Samples

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

18 matches
Strings & text easy

How to Align Text in Two Columns with ljust in Python

Format pairs of strings into two aligned columns using ljust padding.

string-formatting ljust alignment
Python
items = [
    ("apple", "red"),
    ("banana", "yellow"),
    ("cherry", "dark red"),
    ("date", "brown")
]

col1_width = max(len(name) for name, _ in items) + 2

for name, color in items:
    print(name.ljust(col1_width) + color)
15 0 Open
Lists & loops easy

How to Transpose a Matrix in Python (List of Lists)

Swap rows and columns of a 2D list using nested loops to produce a transposed matrix.

matrix transpose 2d-list
Python
def transpose(matrix):
    # Number of rows and columns in the original matrix
    rows = len(matrix)
    cols = len(matrix[0]) if rows > 0 else 0
    
    # Create a new matrix with dimensions swapped
    result = []
    for j in range(cols):
        new_row = []
        for i in range(rows):
            new_row.appe…
13 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

Set Matrix Zeroes in Python: Markers List Grid Demo

Given a matrix, this code finds all rows and columns that contain a zero and sets every element in those rows and columns to zero, using boolean marker arrays.

matrix arrays algorithm
Python
def set_zeroes(matrix):
    rows, cols = len(matrix), len(matrix[0])
    row_markers = [False] * rows
    col_markers = [False] * cols

    # First pass: record which rows and columns contain zeros
    for i in range(rows):
        for j in range(cols):
            if matrix[i][j] == 0:
                row_markers[i] …
14 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

Validate Sudoku Board Rows Columns and Boxes in Python

Validate a 9x9 Sudoku board by checking that each row, column, and 3x3 box contains the numbers 1 through 9 exactly once.

sudoku validation matrix
Python
def validate_sudoku(board):
    def is_valid_group(group):
        return sorted(group) == list(range(1, 10))

    def get_columns():
        return [[board[r][c] for r in range(9)] for c in range(9)]

    def get_boxes():
        boxes = []
        for box_row in range(0, 9, 3):
            for box_col in range(0, 9,…
11 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

Automatically Generate Charts from CSV Files with One Command

Read a CSV file with headers, extract the first two numeric columns, and save a matplotlib line chart as a PNG image.

csv matplotlib charting
Python
import csv
import sys
from pathlib import Path
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt

def generate_chart(csv_path: str) -> None:
    """Read a CSV file with headers and plot the first two numeric columns."""
    data = []
    with open(csv_path, 'r', newline='') as f:
        reader = csv.reader(f)
        headers = next(re…
65 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

Build a Python Utility That Detects Duplicate Records Across Multiple Excel Sheets

A Python utility that uses pandas to find overlapping records across different Excel sheets based on specified key columns.

pandas excel data cleaning
Python
import pandas as pd
from pathlib import Path

def find_duplicate_records_across_sheets(file_path: str, key_columns: list, sheet_names: list) -> dict:
    """
    Detect duplicate records across multiple Excel sheets based on specified key columns.
    
    Args:
        file_path: Path to the Excel file
        key_co…
46 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing medium

Check Null Rate Threshold in PySpark DataFrame

This PySpark code checks the null rate of specified DataFrame columns against a threshold and returns violations.

pyspark data quality null check
Python
from pyspark.sql import SparkSession
from pyspark.sql.functions import col, sum, count

def check_null_rate(df, threshold=0.2, columns=None):
    """
    Check null rate for specified columns (or all) against a threshold.
    Returns columns that exceed the threshold.
    """
    cols = columns or df.columns
    total…
15 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

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.

pandas melt reshape
Python
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,
   …
15 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

Union Multiple DataFrames with Aligned Columns in Python

Concatenate DataFrames with different columns, aligning them and filling missing values with NaN using pandas concat.

pandas dataframes concat
Python
import pandas as pd
from io import StringIO

# Sample dataframes with different columns
df1 = pd.DataFrame({
    'id': [1, 2, 3],
    'name': ['Alice', 'Bob', 'Charlie'],
    'age': [25, 30, 35]
})

df2 = pd.DataFrame({
    'id': [4, 5],
    'name': ['Diana', 'Eve'],
    'city': ['NYC', 'LA']
})

df3 = pd.DataFrame({
…
14 0 Open
Big data & Spark easy

How to Filter and Project Spark DataFrames with PySpark SQL

Simulate a SQL SELECT with WHERE using PySpark DataFrame select and filter to project columns and apply conditions.

pyspark dataframe filter
Python
from pyspark.sql import SparkSession
from pyspark.sql.functions import col

spark = SparkSession.builder.appName("QueryFilterMock").master("local[2]").getOrCreate()

data = [
    ("Alice", 28, "Engineering"),
    ("Bob", 35, "Sales"),
    ("Carol", 32, "Engineering"),
    ("David", 25, "Marketing"),
    ("Eve", 29, "E…
14 0 Open
Big data & Spark medium

How to Implement row_number Window Function in Python

This code implements a SQL-style ROW_NUMBER() window function in pure Python, partitioning rows by a set of columns and ranking them within each partition by an ordered set of columns.

window-functions data-processing row-number
Python
from collections import defaultdict
import itertools


def row_number(rows, partition_by, order_by):
    partitions = defaultdict(list)
    for index, row in enumerate(rows):
        key = tuple(row[col] for col in partition_by)
        partitions[key].append((index, row))

    result = []
    for key in partitions:
 …
17 0 Open
Big data & Spark easy

How to Mock DataFrame Schema Columns in Python

Create an empty pandas DataFrame with only the specified column names to mock a schema before any data is loaded.

pandas dataframe schema
Python
import pandas as pd

def mock_schema(columns):
    return pd.DataFrame(columns=columns)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    cols = ["name", "age", "city"]
    df = mock_schema(cols)
    print(df)
    print(f"Columns: {list(df.columns)}, Shape: {df.shape}")
14 0 Open
Big data & Spark easy

How to select specific columns in Python with SQLite

A reusable function that connects to a SQLite database and returns only the requested columns from a given table.

sqlite sql database
Python
import sqlite3

def select_pruned_columns(db_path, table, columns):
    with sqlite3.connect(db_path) as conn:
        cursor = conn.cursor()
        col_list = ", ".join(columns)
        query = f"SELECT {col_list} FROM {table}"
        return cursor.execute(query).fetchall()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    conn = sq…
15 0 Open
Big data & Spark easy

Modeling a Hive Metastore Table Schema in Python

A dataclass that mimics a Hive metastore table schema—columns, partition keys, storage format, and location—with helper methods for description and mutation.

hive dataclass metastore
Python
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Dict, List, Optional


@dataclass
class HiveTable:
    """Simple mock of a Hive metastore table schema."""
    name: str
    database: str = "default"
    columns: List[Dict[str, str]] = field(default_factory=list)
    partition_keys: List[Dict[str, str]] = f…
14 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

Composite index leftmost prefix in Python

Simulate a composite index in SQLite and check whether query columns match the leftmost prefix rule for index usage.

sqlite indexes database
Python
import sqlite3


def get_indexed_columns(table_name):
    """Simulate a composite index by reading column names that start with 'idx_'."""
    conn = sqlite3.connect(":memory:")
    conn.execute(f"CREATE TABLE {table_name} (id INTEGER, idx_col1 TEXT, idx_col2 INTEGER, other TEXT)")
    conn.execute(f"CREATE INDEX idx_…
14 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

How to Avoid SELECT * and Mock SQL Column Queries in Python

Mock a SQLite cursor to verify that queries specify explicit columns instead of using SELECT *.

sqlite mock testing
Python
import sqlite3
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch


def get_user_emails(connection):
    """Fetch only the required columns instead of SELECT *."""
    cursor = connection.cursor()
    cursor.execute("SELECT email FROM users")
    return [row[0] for row in cursor.fetchall()]


def test_get_user_emails_specific_colu…
13 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization medium

How to Create a Covering Index with INCLUDE Columns in Python

Create a covering index with INCLUDE columns in SQLite from Python and inspect the query plan to confirm the index covers the query.

sqlite indexing covering index
Python
import sqlite3

def create_covering_index_mock():
    conn = sqlite3.connect(":memory:")
    cursor = conn.cursor()

    cursor.execute("""
        CREATE TABLE employees (
            id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
            name TEXT,
            department TEXT,
            salary INTEGER
        )
    """)

    employe…
15 0 Open
Database scaling & optimization easy

How to enforce a unique index constraint in Python

Mock a database unique index in Python that rejects duplicate rows based on one or more columns.

database unique index constraint
Python
class MockIndex:
    def __init__(self, columns):
        self.columns = columns
        self._values = set()

    def insert(self, row):
        key = tuple(row[col] for col in self.columns)
        if key in self._values:
            raise ValueError(f"Duplicate key {key} for columns {self.columns}")
        self._v…
14 0 Open

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

  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.