Python Code
Samples
Copy-ready Python snippets by topic and difficulty — short, focused, and runnable in the browser editor.
How to Align Text in Two Columns with ljust in Python
Format pairs of strings into two aligned columns using ljust padding.
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)How to Center Text in a Fixed-Width Banner in Python
Centers any text inside a fixed-width banner using fill characters and computed padding.
def center_text_banner(text, width=40, fill_char="="):
"""Center text within a fixed-width banner."""
if len(text) >= width:
return text
total_padding = width - len(text)
left_padding = total_padding // 2
right_padding = total_padding - left_padding
banner_line = fill_char * w…How to Pad a String with Zeros in Python
Pad a string to a fixed width by left-filling it with zeros using the built-in str.zfill method.
def pad_zeros(s, width):
return s.zfill(width)
if __name__ == "__main__":
print(repr(pad_zeros("42", 6)))
print(repr(pad_zeros("-7", 5)))
print(repr(pad_zeros("hello", 10)))
print(repr(pad_zeros("123", 3)))How to Pad a List to Length n in Python with a Fill Value
Create a reusable function that pads a Python list to a specified length n by appending a fill value, or truncates it when the list is already longer than n.
def pad_list(lst, n, fill_value=None):
"""
Pad a list to length n using fill_value for missing elements.
If the list is longer than n, it is truncated to length n.
"""
if n <= len(lst):
return lst[:n]
return lst + [fill_value] * (n - len(lst))
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Examples…Implement RSA OAEP Padding in Python
Implements OAEP-style padding with MGF1 using SHA-256 from the Python standard library for RSA encryption prep.
import os
import hashlib
def mgf1(seed, length, hash_func=hashlib.sha256):
"""MGF1 mask generation function."""
output = b""
counter = 0
while len(output) < length:
c = counter.to_bytes(4, "big")
output += hash_func(seed + c).digest()
counter += 1
return output[:length]
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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.