Algorithms & data structures
Classic patterns — search, sort, stacks, queues, and practical complexity-aware code.
Drop Elements From Start While Condition Is True in Python
This generator function drops elements from the beginning of an iterable while a predicate returns true, then yields the rest.
def drop_while(predicate, iterable):
"""Drop elements from the start while predicate is true."""
it = iter(iterable)
for item in it:
if not predicate(item):
yield item
break
yield from it
if __name__ == "__main__":
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 5]
result = list(d…
How to Find Gaps Between Sorted Intervals in Python
This code finds gap ranges between sorted intervals using pairwise iteration, returning ranges where no interval covers.
from itertools import pairwise
def find_gaps(intervals):
intervals = sorted(intervals)
gaps = []
for prev, curr in pairwise(intervals):
if prev[1] < curr[0]:
gaps.append((prev[1] + 1, curr[0] - 1))
return gaps
if __name__ == "__main__":
intervals = [(1, 3), (5, 7), (10, 12), (…
How to Flatten List of Dict Values in Python
This code flattens the values of a list of dictionaries into a single list, handling both list values and scalar values.
def flatten_dict_values(dicts):
flattened = []
for d in dicts:
for value in d.values():
if isinstance(value, list):
flattened.extend(value)
else:
flattened.append(value)
return flattened
if __name__ == "__main__":
data = [
{"a": …
How to Generate Fibonacci Sequence in Python
Generate the first n Fibonacci numbers as a list using a simple iterative loop.
def fibonacci(n):
"""Generate the first n terms of the Fibonacci sequence."""
if n <= 0:
return []
seq = [0, 1]
while len(seq) < n:
seq.append(seq[-1] + seq[-2])
return seq[:n]
if __name__ == "__main__":
n = 10
result = fibonacci(n)
print(result)
Take While Predicate True From Start in Python
Create a custom take_while function that collects elements from an iterable until a predicate returns False, then stops.
def take_while(predicate, iterable):
"""Return elements from iterable until the predicate becomes False."""
result = []
for item in iterable:
if predicate(item):
result.append(item)
else:
break
return result
if __name__ == "__main__":
numbers = [2, 4, 6, 7,…
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