Functions & basics
Reusable building blocks — parameters, returns, scope, and clear function design.
How to Count Items with Default Parameters in Python
Define a Python function that prints each item with a running counter, using default parameters to allow custom start values and step increments.
def count_items(items, start=0, step=1):
"""Count items in a list with configurable start value and step."""
count = start
for item in items:
print(f"{count}: {item}")
count += step
if __name__ == "__main__":
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
print("Default parameters (start=0…
How to Create a Timing Decorator in Python
A Python decorator that measures and prints the execution time of any function using time.perf_counter.
import time
from functools import wraps
def timing_decorator(func):
@wraps(func)
def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
start = time.perf_counter()
result = func(*args, **kwargs)
end = time.perf_counter()
elapsed = end - start
print(f"{func.__name__} took {elapsed:.6f} seconds"…
How to Create an Iterator Class with Dunder Methods in Python
A minimal Counter class implementing __iter__ and __next__ to act as a self-iterating iterator, yielding numbers from start to end-1.
class Counter:
def __init__(self, start=0, end=5):
self.current = start
self.end = end
def __iter__(self):
return self
def __next__(self):
if self.current >= self.end:
raise StopIteration
value = self.current
self.current += 1
return val…
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This page collects functions & basics 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.
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