Files & data
Read and write files safely; parse JSON, CSV, and common text formats.
How to Merge Dicts from Two JSON Files Like a Pro
This helper reads two JSON files that contain dicts, merges them with the second file overriding duplicate keys, and saves the result to a new file.
import json
from pathlib import Path
def merge_json_files(file1: str, file2: str, output: str = "merged.json") -> dict:
"""Merge two JSON files containing dicts, with file2 overriding file1."""
data1 = json.loads(Path(file1).read_text())
data2 = json.loads(Path(file2).read_text())
merged = {**data1,…How to Merge Sorted Chunk Files in Python
Merge multiple sorted text files into one sorted output file using a heap for efficient k-way merging.
import heapq
def merge_sorted_chunks(chunks, output_path):
"""Merge multiple sorted iterables into single sorted output file."""
with open(output_path, "w") as out_f:
# Open all chunk files
handles = [open(chunk, "r") for chunk in chunks]
try:
# Heap of (value, index) tupl…How to Parse Apache Log Files in Python
Parse Apache common log format lines into structured dictionaries using Python's standard library.
import re
from pathlib import Path
def parse_apache_line(line):
pattern = r'^(\S+) (\S+) (\S+) \[([^\]]+)\] "(\S+) (\S+) (\S+)" (\d{3}) (\S+)'
match = re.match(pattern, line)
if not match:
return None
ip, ident, user, timestamp, method, path, protocol, status, size = match.groups()
return …How to Parse INI Config Files in Python with configparser
Load and read settings from an INI file using Python's built-in configparser module, with type-safe value access.
import configparser
from pathlib import Path
# Create a sample INI file for demonstration
sample_content = """
[Database]
host = localhost
port = 5432
user = admin
password = secret123
[Logging]
level = INFO
file = app.log
max_size = 10MB
"""
config_file = Path("sample_config.ini")
config_file.write_text(sample_con…How to Parse JSON, TXT, and CSV Files in Python
This code provides simple functions to read and parse JSON, text, and CSV files using Python's standard library, returning native data structures.
import json
from pathlib import Path
def parse_json_file(filepath):
"""Read and parse a JSON file, returning its contents."""
path = Path(filepath)
with path.open('r', encoding='utf-8') as f:
return json.load(f)
def parse_txt_lines(filepath):
"""Read a text file and return non-empty stripped …How to Parse Path Components with pathlib Path in Python
Parse a file path into parent directory, filename, stem, suffix, and parts using the standard library pathlib module.
from pathlib import Path
if __name__ == "__main__":
p = Path("data/reports/2024/final.txt")
print(f"Path: {p}")
print(f"Parent: {p.parent}")
print(f"Name: {p.name}")
print(f"Stem: {p.stem}")
print(f"Suffix: {p.suffix}")
print(f"Parts: {p.parts}")
print(f"Anchor: {p.anchor}")
print(…How to Prune Empty Directories in Python with os.walk
Remove all empty subdirectories bottom-up using os.walk with topdown=False and os.rmdir, safely ignoring non-empty folders.
import os
def prune_empty_dirs(root):
"""Remove all empty subdirectories under root, bottom-up."""
for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(root, topdown=False):
if dirpath == root:
continue
try:
os.rmdir(dirpath)
print(f"Removed: {dirpath}")
exce…How to Read a Text File Line by Line in Python
Reads a text file line by line with an enumerated for loop and prints each line number and content.
from pathlib import Path
def read_lines(file_path):
with open(file_path, 'r', encoding='utf-8') as file:
for line_number, line in enumerate(file, start=1):
print(f"Line {line_number}: {line.rstrip()}")
if __name__ == "__main__":
sample_file = Path("sample.txt")
sample_file.write_text(…How to Read and Write Files in Python (JSON + Text)
A beginner-friendly helper module to read and write JSON and text files using Python's pathlib and json standard library modules.
import json
from pathlib import Path
def load_json_file(filepath):
"""Load data from a JSON file and return as dict/list."""
path = Path(filepath)
with path.open("r", encoding="utf-8") as f:
return json.load(f)
def save_json_file(filepath, data):
"""Save data to a JSON file."""
path = P…How to Read and Write Text Files in Python
This code provides simple helper functions to save and load text files using Python's standard pathlib library.
from pathlib import Path
def save_text_data(filename: str, content: str) -> None:
file_path = Path(filename)
file_path.write_text(content, encoding="utf-8")
def load_text_data(filename: str) -> str:
file_path = Path(filename)
return file_path.read_text(encoding="utf-8")
if __name__ == "__main__":…How to Sanitize Filenames in Python
Strip illegal filename characters and clean up names for safe filesystem use.
import re
from pathlib import Path
def sanitize_filename(filename: str, replacement: str = "_") -> str:
"""
Remove illegal characters from a filename.
Illegal characters: / \\ : * ? " < > |
Also strips leading/trailing spaces and dots.
"""
# Remove illegal characters
sanitized = re.su…How to Sort Files by Name and Size in Python
Sort a list of file dictionaries by name then size using Python's sorted() with a lambda key.
from pathlib import Path
def sort_files_data(files):
"""Sort a list of file dictionaries by name, then by size."""
return sorted(files, key=lambda f: (f["name"], f["size"]))
if __name__ == "__main__":
files_data = [
{"name": "report.pdf", "size": 2048},
{"name": "data.csv", "size": 1024},…How to Split Files by Extension in Python
Group files in a folder by their file extension into a dictionary using pathlib.
from pathlib import Path
def split_files_by_extension(folder_path):
folder = Path(folder_path)
files_by_ext = {}
for file_path in folder.iterdir():
if file_path.is_file():
ext = file_path.suffix.lower() or "no_extension"
files_by_ext.setdefault(ext, []).append(file_path.na…How to Split a Large File into Fixed-Size Parts in Python
Splits any binary or text file into multiple part files of a fixed byte size using Python's standard library.
import os
import math
def split_file(filepath, chunk_size_bytes):
"""Split a file into parts of fixed size (bytes). Creates part files in same directory."""
filepath = os.path.abspath(filepath)
basename = os.path.basename(filepath)
file_size = os.path.getsize(filepath)
num_parts = math.ceil(file_s…How to Stream Large CSV Files in Python
Process a large CSV file in memory-efficient chunks using Python's csv module, yielding batches of rows instead of loading everything at once.
import csv
from pathlib import Path
def process_csv_in_chunks(file_path, chunk_size=1000):
"""Yield rows from a large CSV file in chunks without loading all into memory."""
with open(file_path, 'r', newline='') as f:
reader = csv.DictReader(f)
chunk = []
for row in reader:
…How to Strip BOM When Reading UTF-8 Files in Python
Read a UTF-8 text file with Python's pathlib while automatically stripping the Byte Order Mark (BOM) so the first character isn't a hidden glyph.
from pathlib import Path
def read_text_without_bom(file_path):
"""Read a UTF-8 text file, stripping the BOM if present."""
return Path(file_path).read_text(encoding='utf-8-sig')
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Create a sample file with BOM for demonstration
sample_path = Path("sample_with_bom.txt")
…How to Sync Two Folders in Python (Lightweight Backup)
A Python script that synchronizes a source folder to a destination folder, copying new or updated files and removing files that no longer exist in the source.
import os
import shutil
import sys
from pathlib import Path
def sync_folders(src: Path, dst: Path):
"""Sync src folder to dst folder, copying missing/updated files."""
dst.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
for src_path in src.rglob("*"):
relative = src_path.relative_to(src)
dst_path = ds…How to Use fcntl for Exclusive File Locking in Python
This code demonstrates how to acquire an exclusive advisory lock on a file using fcntl.flock with a non-blocking flag, simulate work, then release the lock.
import fcntl
import os
import tempfile
import time
def acquire_exclusive_lock(filepath):
fd = os.open(filepath, os.O_RDWR | os.O_CREAT)
try:
fcntl.flock(fd, fcntl.LOCK_EX | fcntl.LOCK_NB)
print(f"Exclusive lock acquired on {filepath}")
time.sleep(1) # Simulate work while holding the l…How to Validate JSON Schema Shape in Python
Validate JSON data against a schema using manual checks for required fields, types, and constraints.
import json
from typing import Any, Dict
def validate_person_schema(data: Dict[str, Any]) -> bool:
"""Validate a person object against expected schema shape."""
if not isinstance(data, dict):
return False
# Required fields check
required_fields = {"name", "age", "email"}
if not requir…How to Walk a Directory Tree with os.walk in Python
A generator function that recursively walks a directory tree and yields every file path found using the os.walk generator.
import os
def walk_directory_tree(root_path: str):
"""Walk a directory tree and yield file paths using os.walk generator."""
for dirpath, dirnames, filenames in os.walk(root_path):
for filename in filenames:
yield os.path.join(dirpath, filename)
if __name__ == "__main__":
# Create a…How to Watch a Directory for New Files in Python
Poll a directory at regular intervals and detect newly added files, printing each one as it appears.
import time
import os
from pathlib import Path
WATCH_DIR = Path("watched_files")
def watch_for_new_files(directory: Path, sleep_time: float = 1.0, max_iterations: int = 10):
"""Poll a directory for new files and print when one appears."""
directory.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
existing = set(os.listdir(directory…How to Write Bytes to a File in Python with 'wb'
Write a bytearray buffer to a binary file using Python's open() in 'wb' mode, then read it back to confirm the data.
data = bytearray([0x48, 0x65, 0x6c, 0x6c, 0x6f, 0x20, 0x57, 0x6f, 0x72, 0x6c, 0x64])
with open("output.bin", "wb") as f:
f.write(data)
with open("output.bin", "rb") as f:
content = f.read()
print(f"Written {len(data)} bytes: {content}")
print(f"As string: {content.decode('ascii')}")How to Write a Dict to a Pretty JSON File with Indent in Python
Serializes a Python dictionary to a readable JSON file using json.dump with indentation and sorted keys, then prints the file contents to stdout.
import json
from pathlib import Path
data = {
"name": "Python",
"version": 3.12,
"features": ["simple", "readable", "powerful"],
"nested": {"creator": "Guido van Rossum", "year": 1991}
}
output_path = Path("output.json")
with output_path.open("w", encoding="utf-8") as f:
json.dump(data, f, inden…How to Write a List of Lines to a Text File Safely in Python
This code atomically writes a list of strings as lines to a text file using a temporary file and os.replace to prevent corruption.
from pathlib import Path
import tempfile
import os
def write_lines_safely(lines: list[str], filepath: str | Path) -> None:
"""Write lines to a text file atomically to avoid corruption."""
path = Path(filepath)
path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
fd, temp_path = tempfile.mkstemp(dir=str…Browse by section
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