23 Python Scripting Techniques for Automation

Python is an ideal language for automation scripting due to its simplicity, flexibility, and extensive libraries. In this article, we’ll explore 23 essential techniques for automating various tasks using Python.

Table of Contents

1. Executing System Commands
2. Working with Files and Directories
3. Manipulating Text Files
4. Parsing JSON Data
5. Handling CSV Data
6. Working with Excel Spreadsheets
7. Sending Emails
8. Creating GUI Applications
9. Using Web Scraping Techniques
10. Interacting with Databases
11. Using Regular Expressions
12. Working with Dates and Times
13. Creating CSV Reports
14. Generating PDF Documents
15. Using Selenium for Web Automation
16. Handling XML Data
17. Working with HTTP Requests and Responses
18. Creating SSH Connections
19. Using Paramiko for SSH Automation
20. Working with SFTP Connections
21. Handling ZIP Archives
22. Creating PDF Reports from Excel Spreadsheets
23. Using Scrapy for Large-Scale Web Scraping

1. Executing System Commands

Python provides the subprocess module to execute system commands. You can use it like this:

“`python
import subprocess

subprocess.run([“ls”, “-l”])
“`

This will run the ls -l command and display its output.

2. Working with Files and Directories

You can use the following techniques to work with files and directories:

• Listing Directory Contents: Use the os.listdir() function to list the contents of a directory.
• Checking if a File Exists: Use the os.path.exists() function to check if a file exists.
• Reading a File: Use the open() function in read mode ('r') to read the contents of a file.

“`python
import os

List directory contents

print(os.listdir(“/path/to/directory”))

Check if a file exists

if os.path.exists(“file.txt”):
print(“File exists”)
else:
print(“File does not exist”)

Read a file

with open(“file.txt”, “r”) as f:
print(f.read())
“`

3. Manipulating Text Files

You can use the following techniques to manipulate text files:

• Writing to a File: Use the open() function in write mode ('w') to write to a file.
• Appending to a File: Use the open() function in append mode ('a') to append to a file.

“`python
import os

Write to a file

with open(“file.txt”, “w”) as f:
f.write(“Hello, World!”)

Append to a file

with open(“file.txt”, “a”) as f:
f.write(“\nThis is an appended line.”)
“`

4. Parsing JSON Data

You can use the json module to parse JSON data.

“`python
import json

data = ‘{“name”: “John Doe”, “age”: 30}’

parsed_data = json.loads(data)

print(parsed_data[“name”]) # Output: John Doe
“`

5. Handling CSV Data

You can use the csv module to handle CSV data.

“`python
import csv

data = [“John Doe”, 30, “New York”]

with open(“file.csv”, “w”) as f:
writer = csv.writer(f)
writer.writerow(data)

Read from a CSV file

with open(“file.csv”, “r”) as f:
reader = csv.reader(f)
for row in reader:
print(row)
“`

6. Working with Excel Spreadsheets

You can use the openpyxl library to work with Excel spreadsheets.

“`python
from openpyxl import Workbook

wb = Workbook()
ws1 = wb.active
ws1[‘A1’] = ‘Hello, World!’

Save the workbook

wb.save(‘example.xlsx’)
“`

7. Sending Emails

You can use the smtplib library to send emails.

“`python
import smtplib
from email.mime.multipart import MIMEMultipart
from email.mime.text import MIMEText

msg = MIMEMultipart()
msg[‘From’] = ‘your-email@example.com’
msg[‘To’] = ‘recipient-email@example.com’
msg[‘Subject’] = ‘Hello, World!’

body = ‘This is a test email.’
msg.attach(MIMEText(body, ‘plain’))

server = smtplib.SMTP(‘smtp.example.com’, 587)
server.starttls()
server.login(msg[‘From’], ‘your-password’)
text = msg.as_string()
server.sendmail(msg[‘From’], msg[‘To’], text)
server.quit()
“`

8. Creating GUI Applications

You can use the tkinter library to create GUI applications.

“`python
import tkinter as tk

root = tk.Tk()

label = tk.Label(root, text=’Hello, World!’)
label.pack()

button = tk.Button(root, text=’Click Me’, command=lambda: print(‘Button clicked!’))
button.pack()

root.mainloop()
“`

9. Using Web Scraping Techniques

You can use the requests library to scrape websites.

“`python
import requests

url = ‘https://www.example.com’
response = requests.get(url)

Parse HTML content using BeautifulSoup

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, ‘html.parser’)
print(soup.prettify())
“`

10. Interacting with Databases

You can use the sqlite3 library to interact with SQLite databases.

“`python
import sqlite3

conn = sqlite3.connect(‘example.db’)

Create a table

cursor = conn.cursor()
cursor.execute(”’
CREATE TABLE users (
id INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
name TEXT NOT NULL,
age INTEGER NOT NULL
)
”’)

Insert data into the table

cursor.execute(“INSERT INTO users (name, age) VALUES (‘John Doe’, 30)”)

conn.commit()
conn.close()
“`

11. Using Regular Expressions

You can use the re library to work with regular expressions.

“`python
import re

text = ‘Hello, my name is John Doe and I am 30 years old.’
pattern = r’\b\w+\s*\w+\b’
matches = re.findall(pattern, text)

print(matches) # Output: [‘John’, ‘Doe’]
“`

12. Working with Dates and Times

You can use the datetime library to work with dates and times.

“`python
from datetime import date, time, datetime

today = date.today()
print(today) # Output: Today’s date

now = datetime.now()
print(now) # Output: Current date and time
“`

13. Creating CSV Reports

You can use the csv library to create CSV reports.

“`python
import csv

data = [
[‘Name’, ‘Age’],
[‘John Doe’, 30],
[‘Jane Doe’, 25]
]

with open(‘example.csv’, ‘w’) as f:
writer = csv.writer(f)
writer.writerows(data)

Read from the CSV file

with open(‘example.csv’, ‘r’) as f:
reader = csv.reader(f)
for row in reader:
print(row)
“`

14. Generating PDF Documents

You can use the fpdf library to generate PDF documents.

“`python
from fpdf import FPDF

pdf = FPDF()
pdf.add_page()
pdf.set_font(“Arial”, size=15)

text = “Hello, World!”
pdf.cell(200, 10, txt=text, ln=True, align=’L’)

pdf.output(“example.pdf”)
“`

15. Using Selenium for Web Automation

You can use the selenium library to automate web interactions.

“`python
from selenium import webdriver

driver = webdriver.Chrome()
driver.get(‘https://www.example.com’)
print(driver.title) # Output: The title of the webpage

Find an element by its CSS selector

element = driver.find_element_by_css_selector(‘#my-element’)
print(element.text) # Output: The text within the element

Close the browser window

driver.quit()
“`

16. Handling XML Data

You can use the xml.etree.ElementTree library to handle XML data.

“`python
import xml.etree.ElementTree as ET

data = ”’
John Doe
30 Jane Doe
25
”’

root = ET.fromstring(data)
print(root.tag) # Output: The root tag
for child in root:
print(child.tag, child.attrib) # Output: The tags and attributes of each person element
“`

17. Using the requests Library for HTTP Requests

You can use the requests library to send HTTP requests.

“`python
import requests

url = ‘https://www.example.com’
response = requests.get(url)

print(response.status_code) # Output: The status code of the response
print(response.text) # Output: The text content of the response
“`

18. Creating a REST API with Flask

You can use the flask library to create a REST API.

“`python
from flask import Flask, jsonify

app = Flask(name)

@app.route(‘/api/endpoint’, methods=[‘GET’])
def get_data():
data = {‘key’: ‘value’}
return jsonify(data)

if name == ‘main‘:
app.run()
“`

19. Using the schedule Library to Schedule Tasks

You can use the schedule library to schedule tasks.

“`python
import schedule
import time

def job():
print(‘I am doing some work!’)

schedule.every(10).seconds.do(job)

while True:
schedule.run_pending()
time.sleep(1)
“`

20. Creating a GUI Application with PyQt5

You can use the PyQt5 library to create a GUI application.

“`python
import sys
from PyQt5.QtWidgets import QApplication, QWidget, QPushButton, QVBoxLayout, QLabel

class MyWidget(QWidget):
def init(self):
super().init()

    self.initUI()

def initUI(self):
    layout = QVBoxLayout()
    self.setLayout(layout)

    label = QLabel('Hello, World!')
    layout.addWidget(label)

    button = QPushButton('Click Me')
    layout.addWidget(button)
    button.clicked.connect(self.on_button_click)

    self.setWindowTitle('MyWidget')
    self.show()

def on_button_click(self):
    print('Button clicked!')

def main():
app = QApplication(sys.argv)
ex = MyWidget()
sys.exit(app.exec_())

if name == ‘main‘:
main()
“`

These examples demonstrate how to perform various tasks in Python, from simple programming concepts to complex applications and frameworks.

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