Exploring Python: 3 Quick Examples for Everyday Tasks

Python has become one of the most popular programming languages, thanks to its simplicity, versatility, and extensive library support. It's an excellent language for beginners and experts alike, with applications in web development, data analysis, machine learning, and more. In this short blog post, I'll dive into three practical Python examples that demonstrate how you can use this powerful language for everyday tasks.

Web Scraping with Beautiful Soup

Web scraping is the process of extracting data from websites. Python, combined with the Beautiful Soup library, makes this task easy and efficient. Here's a simple example of how to scrape a website and extract specific information:

import requests
from bs4 import BeautifulSoup

url = 'https://example.com'
response = requests.get(url)
soup = BeautifulSoup(response.text, 'html.parser')

# Extract data using the tag name or attribute
data = soup.find('div', {'class': 'target_class'})
print(data.text)

Reading and Writing CSV Files

Python's built-in csv module allows you to effortlessly read and write CSV files. Here's a quick example:

import csv

# Reading a CSV file
with open('input.csv', 'r') as file:
    reader = csv.reader(file)
    for row in reader:
        print(row)

# Writing to a CSV file
data = [['Name', 'Age'], ['Alice', 28], ['Bob', 32]]
with open('output.csv', 'w') as file:
    writer = csv.writer(file)
    writer.writerows(data)

Sending Emails with Gmail

Python's smtplib module allows you to send emails effortlessly, while using an App Password for Gmail enhances security when accessing your Google account through scripts or third-party applications.

Here's an example of how to send a simple email using Gmail's SMTP server:

import smtplib

# Define your Gmail email credentials and recipient
sender_email = 'your_email@gmail.com'
receiver_email = 'recipient@example.com'
app_password = 'your_16_digit_app_password'

# Create the email content
subject = 'Python Email Test'
body = 'Hello, this is a test email sent using Python, Gmail, and an App Password!'

message = f'Subject: {subject}\n\n{body}'

# Send the email using a secure connection
with smtplib.SMTP_SSL('smtp.gmail.com', 465) as server:
    server.login(sender_email, app_password)
    server.sendmail(sender_email, receiver_email, message)

print('Email sent successfully!')

Replace 'your_email@gmail.com' with your Gmail address, 'recipient@example.com' with the recipient's email address, and 'your_16_digit_app_password' with the App Password you generated in Step 1.

By using an App Password, you can enhance the security of your Gmail account while still sending emails easily with Python and smtplib. If needed, you can revoke access for specific apps without changing your main password.

To setup an App Password in Gmail, you can follow the step:

1. Sign in to your Google Account: Go to https://myaccount.google.com/ and sign in with your Gmail address and password.
2. Enable 2-Step Verification (if not enabled already): Before you can generate an App Password, you'll need to enable 2-Step Verification. Go to https://myaccount.google.com/security, scroll down to the "Signing in to Google" section, and click on "2-Step Verification." Follow the prompts to set up 2-Step Verification using your preferred method (phone, authenticator app, etc.).
3. Create an App Password: Once you have enabled 2-Step Verification, go to https://myaccount.google.com/security, and scroll down to the "Signing in to Google" section again. This time, click on "App Passwords."
4. Select the app and device: In the "App Passwords" section, you'll see a dropdown menu for selecting the app and device for which you want to generate an App Password. Select the app (e.g., "Mail") and the device (e.g., "Windows Computer") you intend to use the password with, and then click "Generate."
5. Save your App Password: Google will generate a 16-digit App Password for you. Make sure to copy and save it securely, as you won't be able to see it again. If you lose it, you'll need to generate a new one.

I hope you found this post helpful. Python is such a versatile language with a wide array of applications, and I'm excited to continue exploring and sharing more content like this with you.

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