Automation & scripting
CLI tools, scheduled jobs, filesystem tasks, and glue scripts that save time.
Fill PDF Form Fields from a Mock Template in Python
Fills a PDF-style form template dictionary with user data, preserving template fields and formatting output as JSON.
import json
template = {
"first_name": "",
"last_name": "",
"email": "",
"phone": "",
"date_of_birth": "",
"address": "",
"city": "",
"state": "",
"zip_code": "",
"agree_to_terms": False
}
def fill_pdf_form(template: dict, data: dict) -> dict:
for key, value in data.items…
Generate Random Fake User Data for Testing in Python
This code generates a list of fake user dictionaries with random names, emails, ages, and timestamps using the Python standard library for testing purposes.
import json
import random
import string
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
def generate_user_data(num_users=1):
first_names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie", "Diana", "Eve"]
last_names = ["Smith", "Johnson", "Brown", "Taylor", "Wilson"]
domains = ["example.com", "test.org", "demo.net"]
users = …
How to Backup an SQLite Database with a Timestamp in Python
Backs up an SQLite database file to a timestamped copy using the sqlite3 backup API.
import sqlite3
import shutil
from datetime import datetime
from pathlib import Path
def backup_database(db_path: str, backup_dir: str = "backups") -> Path:
db = Path(db_path)
backup_folder = Path(backup_dir)
backup_folder.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
timestamp = datetime.now().strftime("%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")
…
How to Generate a cloud-init User Data Mock in Python
Generate a cloud-init user data mock for a VM using a dataclass and JSON in Python.
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
@dataclass
class VMConfig:
hostname: str
cpus: int
memory_mb: int
ssh_key: str
def generate_cloud_init_mock(config: VMConfig) -> str:
"""Build a cloud-init user-data mock for a VM."""
user_data = {
"hostname": config.hostname,
…
How to Mock a Whisper API Transcription Stub in Python
Simulate an OpenAI Whisper-style transcription response with a dataclass request model and a mock function that returns structured audio transcription output.
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Optional
@dataclass
class AudioRequest:
file_path: str
language: Optional[str] = None
def to_api_payload(self) -> dict:
return {"file": self.file_path, "language": self.language}
def mock_whisper_transcribe(payload: dict) -> dict:
…
How to Save a VM Snapshot State to a JSON File in Python
Define a dataclass for a VM snapshot and serialize it to a JSON file, then reload it to verify the state.
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, asdict
from pathlib import Path
@dataclass
class VMSnapshot:
name: str
memory_mb: int
disk_gb: int
state: str = "saved"
def snapshot_to_file(self, path: Path) -> str:
"""Write snapshot state to a JSON file and return the filename."""
…
How to Strip EXIF Metadata from Images in Python
Remove EXIF metadata from image bytes using Pillow, with a mock JPEG generator for testing.
from PIL import Image
from PIL.ExifTags import TAGS
from io import BytesIO
import struct
def strip_exif(image_bytes, remove_metadata=True):
"""Remove EXIF metadata from image bytes."""
img = Image.open(BytesIO(image_bytes))
if remove_metadata:
# Clear all metadata
img.info.clear()
# Sa…
Parse WHOIS Data with Python Regex
Extract domain registration fields from a mock WHOIS record using regex and compute days until expiration.
import re
from datetime import datetime
def parse_whois(whois_text: str) -> dict:
"""Extract key registration fields from a mock WHOIS record."""
patterns = {
"domain": r"Domain Name:\s*(.+)",
"registrar": r"Registrar:\s*(.+)",
"creation_date": r"Creation Date:\s*(.+)",
"expir…
Resize Disk Partitions in Python (Mock Script)
A mock disk partition resize script that uses dataclasses to model partitions, validate new sizes, and output the updated layout as JSON.
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""Mock script to demonstrate disk partition resize logic."""
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Dict
@dataclass
class Partition:
name: str
size_gb: int
mount_point: str
def to_dict(self) -> Dict[str, object]:
return {
"name": …
Restore sqlite from latest backup file in Python
This script finds the most recently modified backup file in a directory and restores it to the main database path, then verifies the restored data.
import sqlite3
import glob
import os
import shutil
def restore_latest_backup(db_path, backup_dir):
backups = sorted(glob.glob(os.path.join(backup_dir, "*.db")), key=os.path.getmtime)
if not backups:
raise FileNotFoundError("No backup files found")
latest = backups[-1]
shutil.copy2(latest, db_p…
Browse by section
Each section groups closely related Python snippets.
Automation & scripting — Python code examples
What you will find here
This page collects automation & scripting snippets — short, copy-ready Python you can paste into our free online IDE and run without installing anything. Each sample includes a plain-English explanation and the full source code.
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.