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Python Code Samples

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

34 matches
Functions & basics easy

Call a Function Dynamically by Name in Python

Use globals() to look up and call a function by its name as a string, with optional arguments.

globals dynamic-dispatch reflection
Python
def greet():
    return "Hello from greet!"

def add(a, b):
    return a + b

def multiply(a, b):
    return a * b

if __name__ == "__main__":
    func_name = "add"
    args = (3, 5)
    
    # Call function dynamically by name from globals
    result = globals()[func_name](*args)
    print(f"{func_name}({', '.join(ma…
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use a Dispatch Table in Python (Map Strings to Functions)

Maps string command names to callable functions in a dictionary, then dispatches calls safely with error handling.

dispatch-table dictionary functions
Python
def add(a, b):
    return a + b


def subtract(a, b):
    return a - b


def multiply(a, b):
    return a * b


def divide(a, b):
    if b == 0:
        raise ValueError("Division by zero")
    return a / b


dispatch = {
    "add": add,
    "subtract": subtract,
    "multiply": multiply,
    "divide": divide,
}


def…
13 0 Open
Functions & basics easy

How to Use singledispatch for Type-Based Overloading in Python

This code demonstrates Python's functools.singledispatch decorator to create functions that behave differently based on the type of their first argument.

singledispatch overloading functools
Python
from functools import singledispatch

@singledispatch
def process(value):
    return f"Unknown type: {type(value).__name__}"

@process.register(int)
def _(value):
    return f"Integer: {value * 2}"

@process.register(str)
def _(value):
    return f"String: {value.upper()}"

@process.register(list)
def _(value):
    re…
12 0 Open
OOP & classes medium

Visitor Pattern in Python: Double Dispatch Demo

Demonstrates the Visitor design pattern with double dispatch so operations on Dog and Cat objects are selected at runtime without modifying their classes.

visitor-pattern design-patterns double-dispatch
Python
class Animal:
    def accept(self, visitor):
        visitor.visit(self)

class Dog(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Woof!"

class Cat(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Meow!"

class SoundVisitor:
    def visit(self, animal):
        if isinstance(animal, Dog):
            return self.visit_do…
11 0 Open
Git + Python easy

Bump Semantic Version Git Tag in Python

Automatically find the latest Git tag and compute the next patch release using semantic versioning (semver) in Python.

git semver versioning
Python
from re import match
from subprocess import run

SEMVER_PATTERN = r"^v(?P<major>0|[1-9]\d*)\.(?P<minor>0|[1-9]\d*)\.(?P<patch>0|[1-9]\d*)(?:-(?P<prerelease>[0-9A-Za-z-]+(?:\.[0-9A-Za-z-]+)*))?(?:\+(?P<buildmetadata>[0-9A-Za-z-]+(?:\.[0-9A-Za-z-]+)*))?$"


def get_latest_tag() -> str:
    result = run(["git", "describe…
14 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Auto-Suggest a SemVer Bump From Git Commit Messages in Python

This code scans Git commit messages (recent or sample) and suggests the next Semantic Versioning bump type — major, minor, patch, or none.

semver git automation
Python
import re
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path


def get_commit_messages(path="."):
    """Read commit messages from a repo or use sample messages."""
    if (Path(path) / ".git").exists():
        out = subprocess.run(
            ["git", "-C", path, "log", "--pretty=%s"], capture_output=True, text=True
       …
13 0 Open
Git + Python medium

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.

git mbox patch-series
Python
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 = …
14 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Mock open() in Python Using unittest.mock.patch

This code shows how to use unittest.mock.patch with mock_open to test a function that checks if a Git patch can be reverse-applied by reading file content.

unittest mocking git
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch, mock_open


def apply_reverse_check(file_path, expected_patch):
    """
    Check if a patch can be reverse-applied by comparing file content
    with the expected patch's reverse result.
    """
    try:
        with open(file_path, "r") as f:
            content = f.r…
15 0 Open
Git + Python medium

Mock smtplib to Test Patch Email Series in Python

Simulate sending a numbered series of patch emails with smtplib and verify the calls using unittest.mock without a real mail server.

smtplib unittest.mock email
Python
import smtplib
from email.mime.text import MIMEText
from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart
from unittest.mock import patch, Mock

def send_patch_series(subject_prefix, patches, smtp_host="localhost", smtp_port=25):
    """Simulate sending a series of patch emails."""
    for i, patch_content in enumerate(patch…
13 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

How to Build a Multi-Cloud Config Loader with Provider Switching in Python

Load cloud provider configurations (AWS, Azure, GCP) from JSON files using a provider dispatch pattern in Python.

cloud config json
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Dict, Any


@dataclass
class CloudConfig:
    provider: str
    region: str
    settings: Dict[str, Any]


class ConfigLoader:
    def __init__(self, config_dir: str = "configs"):
        self.config_dir = Path(config_dir)
      …
12 0 Open
Modern tooling medium

How to Mock CLI Output in Typer with unittest.mock

Mock and capture Typer CLI output using unittest.mock.patch and io.StringIO for testing command-line applications.

typer cli testing
Python
import typer
from unittest.mock import patch
import io

app = typer.Typer()

@app.command()
def greet(name: str, age: int = 18, uppercase: bool = False):
    """Greet a person with optional formatting."""
    message = f"Hello {name}, age {age}"
    if uppercase:
        message = message.upper()
    typer.echo(messag…
11 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

How to Mock setuptools_scm get_version in Python

This code demonstrates how to mock setuptools_scm.get_version in Python using unittest.mock.patch to test version retrieval logic without installing or relying on the actual package.

setuptools-scm mock unittest
Python
```python
from unittest.mock import patch

def get_version_from_scm():
    try:
        import setuptools_scm
        return setuptools_scm.get_version()
    except (ImportError, LookupError):
        return None

if __name__ == "__main__":
    with patch("setuptools_scm.get_version", return_value="1.2.3"):
        pr…
14 0 Open
Modern tooling medium

How to mock argparse nested subparsers in Python

Build an argparse parser with nested subparsers and test it using unittest.mock.patch for sys.argv and sys.stdout.

argparse subparsers unittest
Python
import argparse
from unittest.mock import patch
from io import StringIO

def build_parser():
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(prog="app")
    subparsers = parser.add_subparsers(dest="command", required=True)

    # Outer subparser
    outer = subparsers.add_parser("outer")
    outer_sub = outer.add_subparsers(dest…
15 0 Open
Modern tooling medium

Mock Python version with unittest.mock.patch

Use unittest.mock.patch to simulate a specific Python version and test version-dependent behavior.

unittest mock version
Python
import sys
import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch

class TestPythonVersion(unittest.TestCase):
    @patch("sys.version_info", (3, 9, 0, "final", 0))
    def test_python_version_pinned(self):
        self.assertEqual(sys.version_info[:2], (3, 9))
        print(f"Pinned version: {sys.version_info.major}.{sys.ve…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Benchmark Python Code with pytest-benchmark and mocks

Use pytest-benchmark to measure function performance while combining Mock and patch for controlled test scenarios.

pytest benchmark mock
Python
import time
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch

import pytest
from pytest_benchmark.fixture import BenchmarkFixture


def heavy_operation(data: list[int]) -> int:
    """Simulates a CPU-bound operation."""
    return sum(x * x for x in data)


def test_heavy_operation_benchmark(benchmark: BenchmarkFixture) -> None:…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Mock a Factory Boy Model Instance in Python

Create a factory boy factory, then patch its Meta.model with a Mock to control instance behavior in tests.

factory-boy mocking unit-testing
Python
import factory
from dataclasses import dataclass
from unittest.mock import Mock, patch
import builtins


@dataclass
class User:
    name: str
    age: int


class UserFactory(factory.Factory):
    class Meta:
        model = User

    name = "Alice"
    age = 30


def get_user_name(user):
    return user.name


def ma…
15 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Mock an Object Method in Python unittest

Mock a method on an instance or class with @patch.object, set its return value, and assert its call arguments in Python unittest.

unittest mock patch
Python
import unittest
from unittest.mock import patch

class Calculator:
    def add(self, a, b):
        return a + b
    
    def multiply(self, a, b):
        return a * b

class TestCalculator(unittest.TestCase):
    def test_add_normal(self):
        calc = Calculator()
        result = calc.add(2, 3)
        self.asse…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing medium

How to Mock and Stub API Calls in Playwright E2E Tests with Python

This code demonstrates how to mock and stub API responses in Playwright end-to-end tests using Python's unittest.mock patch and Playwright's APIRequestContext.

playwright e2e-testing mocking
Python
import re
from unittest.mock import patch
from playwright.sync_api import sync_playwright

def verify_api_mock(page, mock_url, mock_response):
    with patch("playwright.sync_api.APIRequestContext.get") as mock_get:
        mock_get.return_value.json.return_value = mock_response
        mock_get.return_value.status_co…
13 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock pathlib Path.read_text with mock_open in Python

Mock pathlib.Path.read_text using patch and mock_open to test file-reading code without touching the filesystem.

testing mock pathlib
Python
import pathlib
from unittest.mock import mock_open, patch

def read_config(filepath: pathlib.Path) -> str:
    """Read file content with pathlib."""
    return filepath.read_text()

if __name__ == "__main__":
    mock_data = "version: 1.0\nname: demo-app"
    
    with patch("pathlib.Path.open", mock_open(read_data=mo…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Mock subprocess.run returncode in Python

Simulate subprocess.run return codes in tests with unittest.mock.patch and CompletedProcess.

unittest mock subprocess
Python
import subprocess
from unittest.mock import patch


def run_command(cmd):
    result = subprocess.run(cmd, capture_output=True, text=True)
    return result.returncode


if __name__ == "__main__":
    with patch("subprocess.run") as mock_run:
        # Simulate a successful command (returncode 0)
        mock_run.retu…
14 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Test Environment Variables with pytest monkeypatch in Python

Shows how to use pytest's monkeypatch fixture to set and delete environment variables for isolated tests.

pytest monkeypatch environment variables
Python
import os
import pytest

def get_database_url():
    return os.getenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgres://default")

def test_database_url_with_env(monkeypatch):
    monkeypatch.setenv("DATABASE_URL", "postgres://test-db")
    assert get_database_url() == "postgres://test-db"

def test_database_url_default(monkeypatch):
    m…
12 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

Mock datetime.now to freeze time in Python

Use unittest.mock.patch to replace datetime.now with a fixed value so your code always sees the same time during tests.

datetime mock unittest
Python
from datetime import datetime
from unittest.mock import patch

def current_message():
    now = datetime.now()
    return f"Current time: {now:%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S}"

if __name__ == "__main__":
    with patch("__main__.datetime") as mock_dt:
        mock_dt.now.return_value = datetime(2024, 3, 15, 10, 30, 0)
        prin…
14 0 Open
System design patterns easy

How to Mock a Metrics Decorator in Python with unittest.mock

This code demonstrates a timing decorator that wraps a function to measure execution time and prints the duration, with a unit test using unittest.mock to patch the print function and assert it was called.

decorators unittest.mock metrics
Python
import time
from functools import wraps
from unittest.mock import patch

def add_metrics(func):
    @wraps(func)
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        start = time.perf_counter()
        result = func(*args, **kwargs)
        elapsed = time.perf_counter() - start
        print(f"{func.__name__} took {elapsed:.6f}s…
15 0 Open
System design patterns easy

Route Messages to Handlers with a Python Dict

This code demonstrates a simple message routing pattern using a dictionary to map topic keys to handler functions, with a default handler for unmatched topics.

routing dictionary message-broker
Python
def route_message(message, routing_table):
    """Route a message to the correct handler based on the topic key."""
    topic = message.get("topic", "default")
    handler = routing_table.get(topic, routing_table.get("default"))
    return handler(message)


def handle_orders(message):
    return f"Orders handler proc…
12 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

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  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.