Automation & scripting
CLI tools, scheduled jobs, filesystem tasks, and glue scripts that save time.
Batch Rename Hundreds of Files in Python
Rename all files with a given extension inside a folder using a sequential counter and a custom prefix.
import os
from pathlib import Path
def batch_rename_files(directory: str, prefix: str, extension: str = ".txt") -> None:
"""Rename all files with given extension in directory to prefix_{counter}.ext."""
path = Path(directory)
if not path.is_dir():
print(f"Directory '{directory}' does not exist.")
…Build an M3U Playlist from Folder MP3s in Python
Scans a folder for MP3 files and writes a valid M3U playlist with absolute file URIs.
from pathlib import Path
import sys
def build_playlist(folder: str, output: str = "playlist.m3u") -> str:
folder_path = Path(folder)
if not folder_path.is_dir():
raise FileNotFoundError(f"Folder not found: {folder}")
mp3_files = sorted(folder_path.glob("*.mp3"))
if not mp3_files:
pri…Bulk Rename Files in Python with Regex Replacement
Renames every file in a directory by applying a regex substitution to its filename using Python's stdlib re and pathlib.
import re
from pathlib import Path
def bulk_rename_regex(directory, pattern, replacement):
path = Path(directory)
renamed = []
for file in path.iterdir():
if file.is_file():
new_name = re.sub(pattern, replacement, file.name)
if new_name != file.name:
new_pat…How to Auto Organize Downloads by File Extension in Python
A Python script that sorts files in a directory into subfolders based on their file extensions, creating folders automatically.
import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path
def organize_downloads(download_dir="~/Downloads"):
"""Move files in a directory into subfolders based on file extension."""
download_path = Path(download_dir).expanduser()
if not download_path.exists():
print(f"Directory not found: {download_p…How to Batch Resize Images in Python with pathlib and Pillow
Batch resize all JPG images from a source folder and save to a destination folder using pathlib and Pillow.
from pathlib import Path
from PIL import Image
def batch_resize_images(src_dir: str, dest_dir: str, size: tuple[int, int] = (800, 600)) -> None:
src_path = Path(src_dir)
dest_path = Path(dest_dir)
dest_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
for img_path in src_path.glob("*.jpg"):
if not …How to Clean Old Temp Files in Python
A Python script that scans a directory and deletes files older than a configurable age (default: one week), with safe error handling.
import os
import time
from pathlib import Path
def clean_old_temp_files(directory=".", max_age_seconds=7 * 24 * 60 * 60):
"""
Remove files in directory older than the specified age.
Args:
directory: Path to directory to clean
max_age_seconds: Maximum age in seconds (default: 1 week)
…How to Compress a Folder in Python While Preserving Directory Structure
A Python function that uses zipfile to recursively compress a folder, maintaining the original directory hierarchy inside the zip archive.
import os
import zipfile
from pathlib import Path
def compress_folder(source_dir: str, output_zip: str):
"""
Compress a folder into a zip file, preserving the directory structure.
Args:
source_dir: Path to the source directory to compress
output_zip: Path for the output zip file
"…How to Create a File Organizer That Sorts Files Automatically in Python
A Python script that scans a given folder, categorizes files by extension (Images, Documents, Audio, Video, Archives, Misc), and moves them into subfolders automatically.
import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path
FILE_CATEGORIES = {
"Images": [".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif", ".bmp"],
"Documents": [".pdf", ".docx", ".txt", ".csv", ".xlsx"],
"Audio": [".mp3", ".wav", ".flac", ".aac"],
"Video": [".mp4", ".mkv", ".avi", ".mov"],
"Archives": [".zip", ".tar", ".g…How to Deploy a Static Site Build to an Nginx Directory in Python
Copy a static site build directory into an Nginx web root using Python's shutil and pathlib modules.
import shutil
import os
from pathlib import Path
SRC_DIR = Path("build")
DEST_DIR = Path("/var/www/html")
def deploy_site(src: Path, dest: Path) -> None:
if not src.exists():
raise FileNotFoundError(f"Build directory not found: {src}")
dest.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
for item in src.ite…How to Hash Duplicate Photos and Delete Copies in Python
This script hashes image files in a directory using SHA-256 and deletes duplicate copies while keeping the first occurrence, ideal for cleaning up photo libraries.
from pathlib import Path
import hashlib
def file_hash(path, chunk_size=8192):
hasher = hashlib.sha256()
with open(path, "rb") as f:
for chunk in iter(lambda: f.read(chunk_size), b""):
hasher.update(chunk)
return hasher.hexdigest()
def delete_duplicate_photos(directory):
directory …How to Quarantine Suspicious Files in Python
Move files with suspicious extensions to a quarantine folder using pathlib and shutil for safe isolation.
import shutil
import os
from pathlib import Path
def quarantine_files(source_dir, quarantine_dir, suspicious_extensions):
"""
Move files with suspicious extensions to a quarantine folder.
Returns list of moved files.
"""
source_path = Path(source_dir)
quarantine_path = Path(quarantine_dir)
…How to Recover Deleted .txt Files from a Backup in Python
A Python function that searches a backup directory recursively and copies all .txt files to a destination folder, printing each recovered file name and a total count.
import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path
def recover_deleted_txt_files(source_backup_dir: str, destination_dir: str) -> None:
"""Recover .txt files from backup directory."""
backup_path = Path(source_backup_dir)
dest_path = Path(destination_dir)
dest_path.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
…How to Update a Hosts File to Block Distractions in Python
This script updates a local hosts file (or a demo file) by adding or updating entries to block distracting websites like Facebook and Twitter.
from pathlib import Path
def update_hosts(entries):
"""
Add or update blocking entries in the hosts file.
Uses a local demo file by default to avoid system changes.
"""
hosts_path = Path("demo_hosts.txt")
# Create demo file if it doesn't exist
if not hosts_path.exists():
hosts…How to Watch a Folder and Convert New Images in Python
Watch a folder for new files and mock-convert images by copying and renaming them in an output directory.
import time
import hashlib
from pathlib import Path
from datetime import datetime
def mock_convert_image(source: Path, dest_dir: Path) -> Path:
"""Mock image conversion: copy bytes and add .converted suffix."""
dest = dest_dir / f"{source.stem}.converted{source.suffix}"
dest.write_bytes(source.read_bytes(…How to automatically organize your Downloads folder by file type in Python
This script scans the Downloads folder and moves files into sub-folders based on their extensions (e.g., Images, Documents, Videos).
import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path
def organize_downloads_folder(downloads_path=None):
if downloads_path is None:
downloads_path = str(Path.home() / "Downloads")
if not os.path.exists(downloads_path):
print(f"Path {downloads_path} does not exist.")
return
fi…How to rename music files by ID3 tags in Python
Renames MP3 files in a folder using artist and title extracted from ID3 tags, with a mock fallback that parses filenames.
import os
import re
from pathlib import Path
def sanitize_filename(name: str) -> str:
return re.sub(r'[<>:"/\\|?*]', '_', name).strip()
def rename_mp3_from_id3(path: Path) -> None:
for f in path.glob("*.mp3"):
# Mock ID3 extraction: derive artist/title from filename
stem = f.stem
if "…Rename Files in Folder with Numeric Prefix in Python
Renames all files in a folder by adding a sequential numeric prefix (e.g., 01_, 02_) to each filename using pathlib.
from pathlib import Path
def rename_with_numeric_prefix(folder_path):
folder = Path(folder_path)
for index, file_path in enumerate(folder.iterdir(), start=1):
if file_path.is_file():
new_name = f"{index:02d}_{file_path.name}"
new_path = file_path.with_name(new_name)
…Rotate API keys in Python by updating an .env template
Replace an old API key with a new one inside an .env template file, with a guard for missing keys.
import json
from pathlib import Path
def rotate_api_keys(env_template_path: Path, old_key: str, new_key: str) -> None:
"""Replace an old API key with a new one in an .env template file."""
content = env_template_path.read_text()
if old_key not in content:
print(f"Error: '{old_key}' not found in {e…Browse by section
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