Automation & scripting
CLI tools, scheduled jobs, filesystem tasks, and glue scripts that save time.
Find Dead Code in a Python Project Using AST
Walk a project tree, parse every Python file with ast, and list defined functions that are never called anywhere.
import ast
import os
import sys
def find_dead_code(project_path):
defined_functions = {}
called_functions = set()
for root, dirs, files in os.walk(project_path):
for file in files:
if file.endswith('.py'):
filepath = os.path.join(root, file)
with open(f…Generate Beautiful Project Documentation from Python Source Code Automatically
Automatically generate a markdown summary of function docstrings from any Python source file using the AST module.
import ast
import inspect
from pathlib import Path
def extract_docstrings_from_file(filepath):
"""Parse a Python file and collect function docstrings."""
source = Path(filepath).read_text()
tree = ast.parse(source)
docs = []
for node in ast.walk(tree):
if isinstance(node, (ast.FunctionDef…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 Cross Post Markdown to dev.to API in Python
A Python function that POSTs markdown content to the dev.to API and handles HTTP or URLError exceptions with mock API testing.
import json
from urllib import request, error
def cross_post_to_devto(markdown_content, api_key, devto_api_url="https://dev.to/api/articles"):
"""
Mock cross-posting of markdown content to the dev.to API.
Returns the API response or an error message.
"""
payload = json.dumps({
"article": …How to Decrypt a GPG File with a Passphrase in Python
Decrypt a GPG-encrypted file using a passphrase via the gpg CLI wrapped in a reusable Python function.
import subprocess
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
def decrypt_gpg_file(input_file: str, passphrase: str) -> str:
"""Decrypt a GPG file using a passphrase and return the plaintext."""
result = subprocess.run(
["gpg", "--batch", "--yes", "--passphrase", passphrase, "--decrypt", input_file],
…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 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 Scan Open Ports on a Host with Python
A Python function that uses socket.connect_ex to check for open TCP ports on a given host within a range and returns a list of open ports.
import socket
def scan_ports(host, start_port, end_port):
open_ports = []
for port in range(start_port, end_port + 1):
sock = socket.socket(socket.AF_INET, socket.SOCK_STREAM)
sock.settimeout(0.5)
result = sock.connect_ex((host, port))
if result == 0:
open_ports.app…How to check Python files for common coding mistakes
Walks a directory tree parsing each .py file with ast, reporting empty functions, bare try blocks, too many parameters, and empty classes.
import ast
import os
import sys
def check_file(filepath):
try:
with open(filepath) as f:
code = f.read()
tree = ast.parse(code, filename=filepath)
except SyntaxError as e:
print(f"{filepath}: SyntaxError: {e.msg}")
return
issues = []
for node in ast.wal…Browse by section
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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.