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Python Code Samples

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

15 matches
Lists & loops easy

How to Safely Convert a List of Strings to Integers in Python

Convert a list of strings to integers while skipping invalid entries and collecting the failed values for inspection.

list conversion int conversion error handling
Python
def safe_to_int(values):
    """Safely convert a list of strings to integers, skipping invalid entries."""
    result = []
    errors = []
    for value in values:
        try:
            result.append(int(value))
        except (ValueError, TypeError):
            errors.append(value)
    return result, errors


if …
13 0 Open
Files & data medium

How to Compare Two Files by Content Hash Equality in Python

Compares two files by hashing their contents with SHA-256, skipping the hash if file sizes differ, and returns whether they are identical.

hashlib sha256 file-hashing
Python
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path

def file_hash(path: Path, chunk_size: int = 8192) -> str:
    sha256 = hashlib.sha256()
    with path.open("rb") as f:
        for chunk in iter(lambda: f.read(chunk_size), b""):
            sha256.update(chunk)
    return sha256.hexdigest()

def files_are_identical(file_a: Pat…
13 0 Open
Files & data easy

How to Load a YAML Subset in Python Without PyYAML

Parse a flat, key-value YAML file with the Python standard library (re and pathlib), handling comments, quotes, and inline comments while skipping nested structures.

yaml parsing stdlib
Python
import re
from pathlib import Path

def load_yaml_subset(path):
    """Load a flat YAML file (key: value) without external dependencies."""
    data = {}
    with open(path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
        for line in f:
            # Skip empty lines and comments
            line = line.strip()
            if no…
17 0 Open
Files & data easy

Sync only changed files between two folders in Python

This code compares two folders and copies only the new or modified files from source to destination, skipping unchanged ones by comparing SHA-256 hashes.

files sync hashing
Python
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path
import shutil

def file_hash(path: Path, chunk_size: int = 8192) -> str:
    hasher = hashlib.sha256()
    with path.open("rb") as f:
        for chunk in iter(lambda: f.read(chunk_size), b""):
            hasher.update(chunk)
    return hasher.hexdigest()

def sync_files(src: s…
16 0 Open
Algorithms & data structures medium

How to Find Four Sum Quadruplets in Python (Sorted Demo)

Find all unique quadruplets in a sorted array that sum to a target, with duplicate skipping.

two-pointers sorting four-sum
Python
def four_sum(nums, target):
    nums.sort()
    result = []
    n = len(nums)

    for i in range(n - 3):
        if i > 0 and nums[i] == nums[i - 1]:
            continue
        for j in range(i + 1, n - 2):
            if j > i + 1 and nums[j] == nums[j - 1]:
                continue
            left, right = j + 1…
13 0 Open
Comprehensions & generators easy

Drop n items then yield rest generator

A generator that skips the first n items of an iterable and then yields the remaining items one by one.

generators iterators drop
Python
def drop(n, items):
    """Yield every item except the first n from items."""
    it = iter(items)
    for _ in range(n):
        next(it, None)  # skip first n items
    yield from it


if __name__ == "__main__":
    numbers = [10, 20, 30, 40, 50]
    result = list(drop(2, numbers))
    print(result)
11 0 Open
Comprehensions & generators easy

How to skip items until a condition is met in Python

Use itertools.dropwhile to skip leading elements while a predicate returns true, then yield the rest of the sequence unchanged.

itertools generators dropwhile
Python
def is_negative(x):
    return x < 0

numbers = [-3, -1, 0, 5, 2, -8, 7]
result = list(itertools.dropwhile(is_negative, numbers))
print(f"Original: {numbers}")
print(f"After dropwhile: {result}")
13 0 Open
Data pipelines & processing easy

How to Deduplicate Events with At-Least-Once Delivery in Python

Implements an exactly-once processing pattern for at-least-once event delivery by tracking seen event IDs in a set, skipping duplicates.

deduplication idempotent event-processing
Python
seen_ids = set()

def process_event(event_id: str, payload: dict) -> dict:
    """Process an event exactly once, ignoring duplicates."""
    if event_id in seen_ids:
        return {"status": "duplicate", "event_id": event_id}
    seen_ids.add(event_id)
    return {"status": "processed", "event_id": event_id, **payloa…
13 0 Open
Git + Python medium

How to Archive a Repository as a ZIP in Python

Create a ZIP archive of a repository directory with a mock export, skipping hidden files and __pycache__ folders.

zipfile os.walk archiving
Python
import zipfile
import io
import os
from pathlib import Path


def archive_repo_mock(repo_path, output_path="repo_archive.zip"):
    """Create a zip archive of a repository directory (mock export)."""
    repo = Path(repo_path)
    if not repo.exists():
        raise FileNotFoundError(f"Repository not found: {repo}")

…
13 0 Open
Modern tooling easy

pytest mark slow skip integration

Uses pytest markers to select fast tests, skip unfinished ones, and run integration checks with verbose output.

pytest markers testing
Python
import pytest

def test_fast():
    assert 1 + 1 == 2

@pytest.mark.slow
def test_slow():
    import time
    time.sleep(1)
    assert 5 * 5 == 25

@pytest.mark.skip(reason="Not ready for production")
def test_skipped():
    assert 2 + 2 == 5

@pytest.mark.integration
def test_integration():
    database = {"users": […
17 0 Open
Concurrency & performance medium

How to Reduce Instance Memory with __slots__ in Python

Demonstrates that classes with __slots__ use less memory per instance than regular classes because they skip the instance __dict__.

__slots__ memory performance
Python
class SlottedPoint:
    __slots__ = ('x', 'y', 'z')

    def __init__(self, x, y, z):
        self.x = x
        self.y = y
        self.z = z


class RegularPoint:
    def __init__(self, x, y, z):
        self.x = x
        self.y = y
        self.z = z


if __name__ == "__main__":
    regular = RegularPoint(1, 2, 3)…
11 0 Open
Testing & modern typing easy

How to Skip Slow Tests with pytest.mark in Python

Use pytest.mark.skip and custom marks like @pytest.mark.slow to skip or deselect slow tests during test runs.

pytest testing skip
Python
import pytest
import time


def test_fast():
    assert 1 + 1 == 2


@pytest.mark.skip(reason="slow test skipped by default")
def test_slow():
    time.sleep(5)
    assert True


@pytest.mark.slow
def test_marked_slow():
    time.sleep(5)
    assert True


if __name__ == "__main__":
    pytest.main([__file__, "-v", "-…
12 0 Open
System design patterns easy

Idempotent Consumer: Store Processed IDs in Python

Implement an idempotent consumer that persists processed message IDs to a JSON file, skipping duplicates on restart.

idempotency duplicate-detection state-persistence
Python
import json
from pathlib import Path


class IdempotentStore:
    def __init__(self, storage_path: str = "processed_ids.json"):
        self.storage_path = Path(storage_path)
        self.processed_ids = self._load()

    def _load(self) -> set:
        if self.storage_path.exists():
            with self.storage_path…
15 0 Open
Streaming & messaging easy

How to deduplicate messages by ID in Python

Track seen message IDs in a set to skip duplicate messages and store unique content in a dict, with exact output showing which messages were added or skipped.

deduplication set messaging
Python
import time

class MessageStore:
    def __init__(self):
        self.seen_ids = set()
        self.messages = {}
    
    def add(self, message_id, content, timestamp=None):
        timestamp = timestamp or time.time()
        if message_id in self.seen_ids:
            return False
        self.seen_ids.add(message_…
12 0 Open
Microservices patterns easy

Idempotent Consumer Event Processing in Python

Track processed event IDs to skip duplicates and count event types for a reliable, idempotent consumer.

idempotency events microservices
Python
import json
from collections import defaultdict

class EventProcessor:
    def __init__(self):
        self.processed_ids = set()
        self.counts = defaultdict(int)

    def process_event(self, event):
        event_id = event["id"]
        if event_id in self.processed_ids:
            return {"status": "skipped"…
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.