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Python Code Samples

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

28 matches
Functions & basics easy

Add Type Hints to Function Parameters and Return in Python

Add type hints to function parameters and return values in Python for clearer, more maintainable code using the typing module.

type-hints typing annotations
Python
from typing import List, Optional, Dict


def average(numbers: List[float]) -> float:
    return sum(numbers) / len(numbers)


def full_name(first: str, last: Optional[str] = "") -> str:
    return f"{first} {last}".strip()


def build_user(name: str, age: int, email: Optional[str] = None) -> Dict[str, object]:
    us…
15 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Count Items with Default Parameters in Python

Define a Python function that prints each item with a running counter, using default parameters to allow custom start values and step increments.

functions default-parameters loops
Python
def count_items(items, start=0, step=1):
    """Count items in a list with configurable start value and step."""
    count = start
    for item in items:
        print(f"{count}: {item}")
        count += step

if __name__ == "__main__":
    fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
    print("Default parameters (start=0…
11 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Create Functions with Default Parameters in Python

This code defines two Python functions using default parameters to handle missing arguments gracefully, demonstrating how to work with optional inputs and keyword arguments.

default-parameters functions arguments
Python
def greet(name="Guest", greeting="Hello", punctuation="!"):
    """Generate a greeting message using default parameters."""
    return f"{greeting}, {name}{punctuation}"


def create_profile(username="anonymous", age=0, city="Unknown", active=True):
    """Create a user profile dictionary with default values."""
    r…
14 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Define a Function with Default Parameter Values in Python

This code demonstrates defining a Python function with default parameter values, showing how to call it with zero, one, or two arguments.

functions default-parameters arguments
Python
def greet(name: str = "World", punctuation: str = "!") -> str:
    """Return a greeting message using default parameter values."""
    message = f"Hello, {name}{punctuation}"
    return message


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Call with no arguments – uses both defaults
    print(greet())

    # Call with one argume…
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Group a List into Chunks in Python

Split a list into smaller groups of a fixed size using a reusable function with a default parameter.

list slicing functions
Python
def make_groups(numbers, group_size=2):
    """Splits a list into smaller groups of a given size."""
    groups = []
    for i in range(0, len(numbers), group_size):
        groups.append(numbers[i:i + group_size])
    return groups


if __name__ == "__main__":
    data = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7]

    print("Default size…
15 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Merge Lists in Python with Default Parameters

This Python function merges two lists using the + operator and demonstrates default parameters, allowing the second argument to be omitted.

functions default-parameters list
Python
def merge_lists(list1, list2=["default"]):
    """Merge two lists and return the combined result."""
    return list1 + list2


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Example with default parameter
    print("With default:", merge_lists([1, 2, 3]))
    
    # Example with both arguments provided
    print("With custom:", me…
14 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Parse Function Parameters with Defaults in Python

Create Python functions with default parameter values to make arguments optional and provide sensible fallbacks.

functions default-parameters arguments
Python
def greet(name, greeting="Hello", punctuation="!"):
    """Greet a person with customizable greeting and punctuation."""
    return f"{greeting}, {name}{punctuation}"

def describe_fruit(fruit, color="unknown", ripe=False):
    """Describe a fruit with optional attributes."""
    status = "ripe" if ripe else "not ripe…
14 0 Open
Functions & basics medium

How to Parse Function Signatures in Python with inspect

Extract a function's parameter names, kinds, defaults, annotations, and return type using Python's built-in inspect module.

inspect function signature introspection
Python
import inspect

def example_function(a: int, b: str = "default", *args, c: float = 1.5, **kwargs) -> bool:
    """An example function with various parameter types."""
    return True

def parse_signature(func):
    """Parse a function's signature using the inspect module."""
    sig = inspect.signature(func)
    param…
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Sort a List of Numbers in Python with Default Parameters

Define a reusable sort function that uses a default parameter to sort a list of numbers in ascending or descending order.

sorting default-parameters functions
Python
def sort_numbers(numbers, reverse=False):
    """Sort a list of numbers in ascending or descending order."""
    return sorted(numbers, reverse=reverse)


def main():
    numbers = [5, 2, 9, 1, 7, 3]
    
    # Default sort (ascending)
    ascending = sort_numbers(numbers)
    print(f"Ascending: {ascending}")
    
   …
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use Default Parameter Values in Python Functions

Shows how to define and call Python functions with default parameter values, including overriding some or all defaults and using keyword arguments.

functions default-parameters arguments
Python
def greet(name, greeting="Hello", punctuation="!"):
    """Return a greeting message using default parameters."""
    return f"{greeting}, {name}{punctuation}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Using defaults
    print(greet("Alice"))
    
    # Overriding first default
    print(greet("Bob", "Hi"))
    
    # Overrid…
14 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use Default Parameter Values in Python Functions

This code demonstrates how to define a Python function with default parameters and call it with varying numbers of arguments to see the defaults applied.

functions parameters defaults
Python
def greet(name, greeting="Hello", punctuation="!"):
    message = f"{greeting}, {name}{punctuation}"
    print(message)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    greet("Alice")
    greet("Bob", "Hi")
    greet("Charlie", "Hey", "?")
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use Default Parameters in Python Functions

A beginner-friendly Python function that uses default parameters to compare two numbers with equal, greater, or less operations.

functions default-parameters comparison
Python
def compare(a, b, operation="equal"):
    if operation == "equal":
        return a == b
    elif operation == "greater":
        return a > b
    elif operation == "less":
        return a < b
    else:
        return f"Unknown operation: {operation}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(compare(5, 5))
    print(com…
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use Default Parameters in Python Functions

Define a Python function with default parameters and call it using positional and keyword arguments.

functions default-parameters arguments
Python
def greet(name, greeting="Hello", punctuation="!"):
    """Concatenate a greeting message with default parameters."""
    return f"{greeting}, {name}{punctuation}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(greet("Alice"))                 # Uses both defaults
    print(greet("Bob", "Hi"))             # Uses default punctua…
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use Default Parameters in Python Functions

Create a simple function with default parameters to build flexible, reusable greetings in Python.

functions default-parameters basics
Python
def greet(name, greeting="Hello", punctuation="!"):
    """Return a personalized greeting message."""
    return f"{greeting}, {name}{punctuation}"


if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(greet("Alice"))               
    print(greet("Bob", "Hi"))           
    print(greet("Charlie", greeting="Hey", punctuation="?"))…
14 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use Default Parameters with Python's Split Function

Create a reusable Python wrapper around str.split with sensible default parameters for delimiter and maxsplit, showing beginners how default arguments work.

strings default-parameters functions
Python
def split_with_defaults(text, delimiter=" ", maxsplit=-1):
    """
    Split a string into parts using a delimiter.
    Default behavior: split on spaces, unlimited splits.
    """
    parts = text.split(delimiter, maxsplit)
    return parts


if __name__ == "__main__":
    # Example usage with defaults and custom par…
14 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Write a Normalize Function with Default Parameters in Python

Define a reusable normalize function with configurable default parameters for lowercase conversion, whitespace stripping, and punctuation removal.

functions default-parameters string-processing
Python
def normalize(text, lowercase=True, strip_whitespace=True, remove_punctuation=False):
    """Normalize a string based on configurable options."""
    if lowercase:
        text = text.lower()
    if strip_whitespace:
        text = text.strip()
    if remove_punctuation:
        text = ''.join(char for char in text if…
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to use function defaults in Python

Define Python functions with default parameter values so callers can omit arguments and use sensible fallbacks.

functions default-parameters basics
Python
def greet(name="Guest", greeting="Hello", punctuation="!"):
    """Return a greeting message using default parameters."""
    return f"{greeting}, {name}{punctuation}"

def describe_pet(pet_name, animal_type="dog"):
    """Display information about a pet with a default animal type."""
    print(f"I have a {animal_type…
15 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

Python Filter Function with Default Parameters for Beginners

Create a reusable filter function with default parameters to keep or exclude numbers above or below a threshold.

functions default-parameters filter
Python
def filter_numbers(numbers, threshold=0, reverse=False):
    """Return numbers that pass the threshold filter.

    Args:
        numbers: list of numbers to filter
        threshold: minimum value to keep (default 0)
        reverse: if True, keep numbers below threshold (default False)
    """
    if reverse:
      …
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

Python Function Default Parameters Explained with Examples

Learn how to define Python functions with default parameter values and call them with fewer arguments than declared.

functions default-parameters args
Python
def greet(name, greeting="Hello", punctuation="!"):
    return f"{greeting}, {name}{punctuation}"

def calculate_area(length, width=1, unit="sq units"):
    area = length * width
    return f"Area: {area} {unit}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    print(greet("Alice"))
    print(greet("Bob", "Hi"))
    print(greet("Charl…
14 0 Open
Errors & debugging medium

How to Log Errors with Structured Fields in Python

Logs error details as structured dictionary fields using Python's logging module with extra parameters.

logging errors structured
Python
import logging
import sys

def log_structured_error(operation: str, user_id: int, status_code: int, error_msg: str):
    """Log an error with structured fields using a dictionary."""
    logger = logging.getLogger("structured_logger")
    logger.setLevel(logging.ERROR)
    
    # Create console handler if not already …
14 0 Open
Files & data easy

How to Transcode a File from Latin-1 to UTF-8 in Python

Read a latin1-encoded text file and rewrite it as UTF-8 using Python's pathlib and encoding parameters.

encoding utf8 latin1
Python
from pathlib import Path

def transcode_to_utf8(input_path, output_path):
    """Read a latin1-encoded file and write it as UTF-8."""
    source = Path(input_path)
    target = Path(output_path)
    
    with source.open(encoding='latin1') as infile:
        content = infile.read()
    
    with target.open('w', encod…
12 0 Open
AI & LLM integration patterns easy

How to build a function calling schema dict in Python

Build an OpenAI-compatible function calling schema dictionary with a helper function that takes name, description, parameters, and required fields.

llm-api function-calling schema
Python
import json
from typing import Dict, Any, List, Optional


def build_function_schema(
    name: str,
    description: str,
    parameters: Optional[Dict[str, Any]] = None,
    required: Optional[List[str]] = None
) -> Dict[str, Any]:
    """Build an OpenAI-compatible function calling schema dictionary."""
    schema: …
14 0 Open
Automation & scripting medium

How to check Python files for common coding mistakes

Walks a directory tree parsing each .py file with ast, reporting empty functions, bare try blocks, too many parameters, and empty classes.

ast linting code-quality
Python
import ast
import os
import sys

def check_file(filepath):
    try:
        with open(filepath) as f:
            code = f.read()
        tree = ast.parse(code, filename=filepath)
    except SyntaxError as e:
        print(f"{filepath}: SyntaxError: {e.msg}")
        return
    
    issues = []
    for node in ast.wal…
42 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

Mock SSM Parameter Store Get Parameters by Path in Python

This code implements a simple mock of the AWS SSM Parameter Store get_parameters_by_path API, returning parameters under a given path with recursive and non-recursive options.

aws ssm parameter-store
Python
import json

class MockSSM:
    def __init__(self, parameters):
        self.parameters = parameters

    def get_parameters_by_path(self, path, recursive=True):
        result = []
        for key, value in self.parameters.items():
            if recursive:
                if key.startswith(path):
                   …
16 0 Open

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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

  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.