Automation & scripting
CLI tools, scheduled jobs, filesystem tasks, and glue scripts that save time.
Automatically Clean Temporary Files from Applications Using Python
A Python script that safely deletes temporary files from common application temp directories across Windows, Linux, and macOS, tracking cleaned count and disk space.
import os
import shutil
import tempfile
import platform
def clean_application_temp_files():
"""Delete common temporary file locations safely."""
system = platform.system()
temp_dirs = []
if system == "Windows":
temp_dirs.extend([
os.path.join(os.getenv("LOCALAPPDATA"), "Temp"),
…How to Sync Two Directories in Python (rsync-like)
Mirror a source directory into a destination by copying new or changed files and deleting extras, similar to rsync.
import os
import shutil
import sys
from pathlib import Path
def sync_dirs(src: Path, dst: Path):
"""Mirror src into dst: copy new files, overwrite changed, delete extras."""
dst.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
for dst_entry in dst.rglob('*'):
rel = dst_entry.relative_to(dst)
src_entry =…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.