pontalk: Explore Python's Hidden Treasures!

Category: Automation

Practical Python scripts that automate everyday tasks and save you time.

  • Organizing Files Automatically with Python

    Categories: Automation, Productivity
    Tags: files, organization, os, automation

    Hello!
    Are you tired of your “Downloads” folder being a complete mess?
    With just a few lines of Python, you can automatically sort files into folders based on their type.
    This is a perfect small project for everyday productivity.

    Step 1: Import Required Modules

    import os
import shutil
from pathlib import Path

    Step 2: Define File Categories

    We can map file extensions to their respective folders. Update or extend this mapping as needed.

    FILE_TYPES = {
    "Images": [".jpg", ".jpeg", ".png", ".gif"],
    "Documents": [".pdf", ".docx", ".txt"],
    "Audio": [".mp3", ".wav"],
    "Videos": [".mp4", ".mov", ".avi"]
}

    Step 3: Create a Sorting Function

    The function below moves files into folders based on their extension. Files with no matching category are skipped.

    def organize_files(folder):
    for file in Path(folder).iterdir():
        if file.is_file():
            moved = False
            for category, extensions in FILE_TYPES.items():
                if file.suffix.lower() in extensions:
                    target_folder = Path(folder) / category
                    target_folder.mkdir(exist_ok=True)
                    shutil.move(str(file), target_folder / file.name)
                    print(f"Moved {file.name} → {category}")
                    moved = True
                    break
            if not moved:
                print(f"Skipped {file.name} (no matching category)")

    Step 4: Run the Script

    Set the downloads variable to the folder you want to organize and call the function.

    downloads = str(Path.home() / "Downloads")
organize_files(downloads)

    Result

    Now, instead of a messy folder full of random files, your Downloads directory will be neatly organized into Images, Documents, Audio, and Videos.

    This script can be expanded further:
    – Add more categories (e.g., Spreadsheets, Archives)
    – Run it on a schedule with cron or Task Scheduler
    – Combine with cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox)

    A little automation can make your daily computer life much smoother. Try running this script once, and you’ll never want to go back to manual file sorting!

  • How to Automatically Sort Emails with Python

    Categories: Automation
    Tags: gmail, automation
    slug: “python-email-auto-sort”
    date: 2025-09-08
    status: “publish”

    How to Automatically Sort Emails with Python

    Introduction

    Is your inbox overflowing with unread messages? Manually sorting emails into folders can be time-consuming and stressful. With a small Python script, you can automate this process and let your computer do the boring work. In this article, we’ll build a simple script that labels Gmail messages automatically.

    Requirements

    • Python 3
    • A Gmail account
    • Gmail API access
    • Libraries: google-api-python-client, google-auth-httplib2, google-auth-oauthlib

    Install the libraries:

    bash
    pip install --upgrade google-api-python-client google-auth-httplib2 google-auth-oauthlib

    Step 1: Enable the Gmail API

    1. Open Google Cloud Console and create a project.
    2. Enable Gmail API for that project.
    3. Create OAuth 2.0 Client ID (Desktop app) credentials.
    4. Download credentials.json and place it in your project folder.

    Step 2: Authenticate and Connect

    “`python
    from future import print_function
    import os.path
    from google.auth.transport.requests import Request
    from google.oauth2.credentials import Credentials
    from google_auth_oauthlib.flow import InstalledAppFlow
    from googleapiclient.discovery import build

    SCOPES = [‘https://www.googleapis.com/auth/gmail.modify’]

    def get_service():
    creds = None
    if os.path.exists(‘token.json’):
    creds = Credentials.from_authorized_user_file(‘token.json’, SCOPES)
    if not creds or not creds.valid:
    if creds and creds.expired and creds.refresh_token:
    creds.refresh(Request())
    else:
    flow = InstalledAppFlow.from_client_secrets_file(‘credentials.json’, SCOPES)
    creds = flow.run_local_server(port=0)
    with open(‘token.json’, ‘w’) as f:
    f.write(creds.to_json())
    return build(‘gmail’, ‘v1’, credentials=creds)
    “`

    Step 3: Create or Find Labels

    We’ll need a label ID to apply to messages. The function below finds a label by name (e.g., GitHub) or creates it if it doesn’t exist.

    python
    def get_or_create_label_id(service, label_name):
    labels = service.users().labels().list(userId='me').execute().get('labels', [])
    for lb in labels:
    if lb['name'].lower() == label_name.lower():
    return lb['id']
    body = {
    'name': label_name,
    'labelListVisibility': 'labelShow',
    'messageListVisibility': 'show'
    }
    created = service.users().labels().create(userId='me', body=body).execute()
    return created['id']

    Step 4: Sort Incoming Emails

    Example: apply the GitHub label to all messages from notifications@github.com.

    “`python
    def sort_emails(service):
    label_id = get_or_create_label_id(service, ‘GitHub’)
    results = service.users().messages().list(
    userId=’me’, q=”from:notifications@github.com”, maxResults=50
    ).execute()
    messages = results.get(‘messages’, [])

    if not messages:
    print("No GitHub emails found.")
    return

for msg in messages:
    msg_id = msg['id']
    service.users().messages().modify(
        userId='me',
        id=msg_id,
        body={'addLabelIds': [label_id]}
    ).execute()
    print(f"Labeled message: {msg_id}")

    “`

    Step 5: Run the Script

    python
    if __name__ == "__main__":
    svc = get_service()
    sort_emails(svc)

    Conclusion

    With the Gmail API and Python, you can take control of your inbox and eliminate repetitive sorting. Extend this idea by labeling newsletters, creating daily digests, or even auto-responding to specific senders.

    Full source code and updates: (GitHub link to be added)