5 practical Python scripts

Here are 5 practical Python scripts covering file operations, automation, and web requests, with clear explanations and ready-to-use code:

1. Batch Rename Files Use Case: Rename all files in a folder (add prefix/suffix/change extension).

import os

def batch_rename(path, prefix="", suffix="", new_ext=None):
for filename in os.listdir(path):
name, ext = os.path.splitext(filename)
new_name = f"{prefix}{name}{suffix}{new_ext if new_ext else ext}"
os.rename(
os.path.join(path, filename),
os.path.join(path, new_name))

Example: Add prefix "backup_" to all .txt files

batch_rename("/path/to/folder", prefix="backup_", new_ext=".txt")

1. Download Images from URLs Use Case: Download multiple images from a list of URLs.

import requests

def download_images(urls, save_dir="images"):
os.makedirs(save_dir, exist_ok=True)
for i, url in enumerate(urls):
try:
response = requests.get(url, stream=True)
with open(f"{save_dir}/image_{i+1}.jpg", "wb") as f:
for chunk in response.iter_content(1024):
f.write(chunk)
except Exception as e:
print(f"Failed to download {url}: {e}")

Example

urls = ["https://example.com/1.jpg", "https://example.com/2.jpg"]
download_images(urls)

1. Convert CSV to Excel Use Case: Automate data format conversion.

import pandas as pd

def csv_to_excel(csv_path, excel_path):
df = pd.read_csv(csv_path)
df.to_excel(excel_path, index=False)

Example

csv_to_excel("data.csv", "data.xlsx")

1. Schedule Computer Shutdown Use Case: Shut down the system after a delay (Windows only).

import os
import time

def schedule_shutdown(minutes):
seconds = minutes * 60
print(f"Shutting down in {minutes} minutes...")
time.sleep(seconds)
os.system("shutdown /s /t 1")

Example: Shutdown after 30 minutes

schedule_shutdown(30)

1. Extract All Links from a Webpage Use Case: Scrape hyperlinks from a URL.

from bs4 import BeautifulSoup
import requests

def extract_links(url):
try:
response = requests.get(url)
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, "html.parser")
return [a["href"] for a in soup.find_all("a", href=True)]
except Exception as e:
print(f"Error: {e}")
return []

Example

links = extract_links("https://example.com")
print(links)