5 Python Automation Scripts That Saved Me 10 Hours This Week

#python #automation #productivity

As a developer, I'm always looking for ways to automate repetitive tasks. Here are 5 Python scripts that saved me 10 hours this week.

1. Automated File Organizer

This script automatically organizes files by type, date, or custom rules.

import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path

def organize_files(directory, pattern="extension"):
    path = Path(directory)
    for file in path.iterdir():
        if file.is_file():
            if pattern == "extension":
                ext = file.suffix.lower().lstrip(".") or "no_extension"
                target = path / ext
            elif pattern == "date":
                import datetime
                mtime = datetime.datetime.fromtimestamp(file.stat().st_mtime)
                target = path / mtime.strftime("%Y-%m")
            else:
                continue

            target.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
            shutil.move(str(file), str(target / file.name))
            print(f"Moved {file.name} -> {target.name}/")

# Usage: organize_files("/path/to/messy/folder")

Time saved: 30 minutes per week

2. Git Commit Message Generator

This script generates meaningful commit messages from your changes.

import subprocess

def generate_commit_message():
    # Get staged changes
    result = subprocess.run(["git", "diff", "--cached", "--stat"], 
                          capture_output=True, text=True)

    # Analyze changes
    files_changed = result.stdout.count("|")

    if files_changed == 1:
        return "Update single file"
    elif files_changed < 5:
        return "Refactor multiple files"
    else:
        return "Major update across codebase"

Time saved: 15 minutes per day

3. Dependency Updater

This script checks for outdated dependencies and updates them.

import subprocess
import json

def check_outdated():
    result = subprocess.run(["pip", "list", "--outdated", "--format=json"],
                          capture_output=True, text=True)
    outdated = json.loads(result.stdout)

    for pkg in outdated:
        print(f"{pkg['name']}: {pkg['version']} -> {pkg['latest_version']}")

    return outdated

# Usage: check_outdated()

Time saved: 20 minutes per week

4. API Documentation Generator

This script generates API docs from your code.

import inspect

def generate_api_docs(module):
    docs = []
    for name, obj in inspect.getmembers(module):
        if inspect.isfunction(obj):
            sig = inspect.signature(obj)
            docs.append(f"## {name}{sig}")
            docs.append(f"{obj.__doc__ or 'No documentation'}")
            docs.append("")
    return "\n".join(docs)

Time saved: 2 hours per project

5. Test Data Generator

This script generates realistic test data.

import random
import string

def generate_user_data(count=10):
    users = []
    for _ in range(count):
        users.append({
            "name": "".join(random.choices(string.ascii_lowercase, k=8)),
            "email": f"{''.join(random.choices(string.ascii_lowercase, k=5))}@example.com",
            "age": random.randint(18, 65),
            "balance": round(random.uniform(0, 10000), 2),
        })
    return users

# Usage: users = generate_user_data(100)

Time saved: 1 hour per test suite

Total Time Saved: 10+ hours per week

These simple scripts have dramatically improved my productivity. The key is to identify repetitive tasks and automate them.

What tasks do you automate? Share in the comments!

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