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Python Code Samples

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

16 matches
Errors & debugging easy

How to Mock a Failing Dependency to Test Error Paths in Python

Inject a fake HTTP client that raises a connection error to test how code handles dependency failures without touching the network.

testing mocking requests
Python
import requests

def fetch_user(user_id):
    url = f"https://api.example.com/users/{user_id}"
    response = requests.get(url, timeout=5)
    response.raise_for_status()
    return response.json()

def get_user_name(user_id, http_client):
    try:
        user_data = http_client(user_id)
        return user_data["nam…
17 0 Open
Files & data easy

Build a File Index by Relative Path Hash Map in Python

Recursively walk a directory and map normalized relative paths to absolute file paths using a defaultdict hash map.

os.walk file-index defaultdict
Python
import os
from collections import defaultdict


def build_file_index(root_dir):
    index = defaultdict(list)

    for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(root_dir):
        for filename in filenames:
            full_path = os.path.join(dirpath, filename)
            relative_path = os.path.relpath(full_path, roo…
19 0 Open
Files & data easy

Build a Python Script That Detects and Deletes Empty Files Across Folders

A Python script that recursively finds and removes all zero-byte files across nested directories, returning a list of deleted paths.

filesystem cleanup pathlib
Python
import os
from pathlib import Path

def find_and_delete_empty_files(root_dir: str) -> list:
    """Find and delete all empty files under root_dir. Returns list of deleted paths."""
    deleted = []
    for file_path in Path(root_dir).rglob('*'):
        if file_path.is_file() and file_path.stat().st_size == 0:
       …
57 0 Open
Files & data easy

Compare Two Folder Structures and Find Differences in Python

Walks two directories using os.walk, builds sets of relative paths, and prints items that exist in only one folder.

filesystem os.walk comparison
Python
import os

def compare_folders(path1, path2):
    """
    Compare the file/folder structure of two directories and print differences.
    """
    def get_structure(root):
        structure = set()
        for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(root):
            rel_path = os.path.relpath(dirpath, root)
         …
61 0 Open
Files & data easy

How to Create Nested Directories with pathlib mkdir parents in Python

Create nested directories with pathlib's Path.mkdir using parents=True and exist_ok=True to avoid errors when paths already exist.

pathlib mkdir directories
Python
from pathlib import Path

def create_nested_directories(base_path: str, dirs: list[str]) -> None:
    for directory in dirs:
        path = Path(base_path) / directory
        path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
        print(f"Created: {path}")

if __name__ == "__main__":
    root = "output"
    nested_dirs = ["2…
13 0 Open
Files & data easy

How to Find Files by Extension in Python

This code walks a directory tree with pathlib, collects all file paths, and counts them by extension to summarize a project's contents.

pathlib file-system recursion
Python
from pathlib import Path

def get_project_files(base_path="."):
    """Return a sorted list of all file paths under base_path."""
    base = Path(base_path)
    files = [p for p in base.rglob("*") if p.is_file()]
    return sorted(files)

def count_by_extension(files):
    """Return a dict mapping extension (lowercase…
12 0 Open
Files & data easy

How to Parse Path Components with pathlib Path in Python

Parse a file path into parent directory, filename, stem, suffix, and parts using the standard library pathlib module.

pathlib filesystem file-paths
Python
from pathlib import Path

if __name__ == "__main__":
    p = Path("data/reports/2024/final.txt")
    print(f"Path: {p}")
    print(f"Parent: {p.parent}")
    print(f"Name: {p.name}")
    print(f"Stem: {p.stem}")
    print(f"Suffix: {p.suffix}")
    print(f"Parts: {p.parts}")
    print(f"Anchor: {p.anchor}")
    print(…
14 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets medium

Find All Leaf Paths in a Nested Dict in Python

Recursively traverse a nested dictionary and yield every leaf path as a list of keys, including paths to empty dictionaries.

dictionary recursion nested-data
Python
def find_leaf_paths(data, path=None):
    if path is None:
        path = []
    
    if not isinstance(data, dict) or not data:
        yield path
        return
    
    for key, value in data.items():
        yield from find_leaf_paths(value, path + [key])

if __name__ == "__main__":
    nested = {
        "a": 1,
…
13 0 Open
Dictionaries & sets medium

Traverse Nested Dict Paths Depth-First in Python

Recursively walk a nested dictionary depth-first and yield each full path from root to leaf as lists.

recursion generators nested-dicts
Python
def depth_first_paths(node, path=None):
    if path is None:
        path = []
    
    if not isinstance(node, dict):
        yield path + [node]
        return
    
    for key, value in node.items():
        new_path = path + [key]
        if isinstance(value, dict):
            yield from depth_first_paths(value, …
13 0 Open
Automation & scripting easy

How to Map Network Drive Paths to Local Paths in Python

Convert mock SMB network drive paths (like 'S:\reports\q1.xlsx') to local placeholder paths and back using a simple mapping dictionary in Python.

network path-mapping smb
Python
"""Map mock SMB network drive paths to local placeholder paths."""
from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass(frozen=True)
class NetworkDrive:
    letter: str
    remote_path: str

DRIVES = {
    "S:": NetworkDrive("S", r"\\server01\shares\sales"),
    "M:": NetworkDrive("M", r"\\server02\media\movies"),
    "X:": …
15 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Mock git sparse-checkout Paths in Python

Simulates git sparse-checkout configuration by writing desired paths to the sparse-checkout file without running git commands.

git sparse-checkout mocking
Python
import subprocess
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile


def configure_sparse_checkout(repo_dir: Path, paths: list[str]) -> list[str]:
    """Simulate sparse checkout configuration by returning the paths that would be set."""
    sparse_checkout_file = repo_dir / ".git" / "info" / "sparse-checkout"
    sparse_chec…
10 0 Open
Git + Python easy

How to Parse git status --porcelain Output in Python

This code runs `git status --porcelain` and parses its output into a list of dictionaries with file paths and status descriptions.

git subprocess parsing
Python
import subprocess

def parse_git_status_porcelain():
    try:
        output = subprocess.check_output(
            ["git", "status", "--porcelain"], 
            text=True, 
            stderr=subprocess.DEVNULL
        )
    except (subprocess.CalledProcessError, FileNotFoundError):
        return []

    entries = …
14 0 Open
Cloud + Python easy

How to Mock CloudFront Invalidation Paths in Python

Build a sorted, deduplicated list of CloudFront invalidation paths from a set of file paths, adding implicit index.html entries.

cloudfront aws cli
Python
import argparse

def build_invalidation_paths(files, include_index=True):
    """
    Create CloudFront invalidation paths from a list of files.
    Converts file names to root-relative paths and optionally adds /index.html.
    """
    paths = []
    for f in files:
        f = f.strip()
        if not f:
           …
16 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

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.

smoke-test performance health-check
Python
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 …
12 0 Open
API design & gRPC medium

How to Build a Mock REST GET Endpoint Handler in Python

Create a lightweight mock REST GET server in Python using the standard library, with a dict-based route registry that maps paths to handler functions and returns JSON responses with proper HTTP status codes.

mock-server rest-api http
Python
from http.server import BaseHTTPRequestHandler, HTTPServer
import json

# Mock API handler registry
def handle_users():
    return {"status": "ok", "data": [{"id": 1, "name": "Alice"}, {"id": 2, "name": "Bob"}]}

def handle_products():
    return {"status": "ok", "data": [{"id": 101, "name": "Laptop", "price": 999.99}…
14 0 Open
ML engineering pipelines medium

How to mock an artifact store with local paths in Python for ML pipelines

Create a temporary local artifact store with dummy files and metadata to test ML pipeline code without real storage.

ml-pipelines mock tempfile
Python
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
import json


def create_artifact_store_mock(base_path: Path = None):
    """Create a local artifact store mock directory structure."""
    if base_path is None:
        base_path = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp())

    store_layout = {
        "artifacts": [
            {"name": "mode…
13 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.