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Function Parameters

This document discusses Python functions and function parameters. It covers: 1) Built-in and user-defined functions in Python. User-defined functions use the def keyword and can take parameters and return values. 2) The difference between function parameters and arguments. Parameters are the variables in the function definition while arguments are the values passed to the function. 3) Types of parameters like positional arguments, keyword arguments, default values, and *args. It also discusses unpacking iterables like lists and tuples to pass as arguments.

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Sheikh Muhammed Shoaib
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© © All Rights Reserved
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44 views

Function Parameters

This document discusses Python functions and function parameters. It covers: 1) Built-in and user-defined functions in Python. User-defined functions use the def keyword and can take parameters and return values. 2) The difference between function parameters and arguments. Parameters are the variables in the function definition while arguments are the values passed to the function. 3) Types of parameters like positional arguments, keyword arguments, default values, and *args. It also discusses unpacking iterables like lists and tuples to pass as arguments.

Uploaded by

Sheikh Muhammed Shoaib
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Python functions

-> Types of function


a) Built in function and predefined function
-> id(), type(), print(), input, eval

b) Customized function / user defined function

Syntax:

def function_name(parameters):
‘’’doc_string’’’
body
return value;

Function Parameters

a) Positional Argument

b) Keyword Argument
-> We can use positional argument and keyword argument simultaneouly
but first we have to take positional argument first.

-> Argument vs Parameter

Semantics

def my_func(a,b):
# code here
-> In this context, a and b are called parameters of my_func
-> Also note that a and b are variables, local to my_func

When we call the function


x = 10
y = ‘a’
my_func(x, y)

-> In this context x and y are called arguments of my_func


-> Also note that x and y are passed by reference, i.e the memory address
of x and y are passed.
Positional and keyword arguments

a) Positional argument
-> Most common way of assigning arguments to parameters, via the order
in which they are passed. i.e their position.

b) positional argument with default value


-> A positional argument can be made optional by specifying a default
value for the corresponding parameter.
Def my_func(a, b=100):

-> consider a case where we have 3 arguments, and we want to make one
of them optional.
-> If a positional parameter is defined with a default value every positional
parameter after it must also be given a default value.

c) keyword arguments (named argument)


my_func(a=1, c=2)
-> Positional arguments can, optionally be specified by using the
parameter name, whether or not parameter have default values.
-> Increased readability of code.
-> Order of argument can be changed.
-> But once you used named argument, all argument hereafter must be
named too.

Unpacking iterables
-> (1,2,4)
-> What defines a tuple in Python, is not (), but, 1,2,3 is also a tuple
-> The () are used to make the tuple clearer.

To create a tuple element with a single element


(1) --> will not work as intended --> int
1, or (1,) --> tuple

The only exception is when creating an empty tuple: () or tuple()


Packed Values
-> refers to values that are bundled together is same way.
a) Tuples and list l=[1,2,3] t=(1,2,3)
b) Even a string is considered to be a packed value: s=’python’
c) Sets and dictionaries are also packed values: set1={1,2,3} d={‘a’:‘1’}

-> In fact any iterable can be considered as packed value.

Unpacking Packed values


-> Unpacking is the act of splitting packed values into individual variables
contained in a list or tuple.

A,b,c = [1,2,3] 3 elements in [1,2,3] -> need 3 variables to unpack.

-> this is actually a tuple of 3 variables: a,b and c

-> The unpacking into individual variables is based on the relative


positions of each element.
-> Does this remind you of howpositional arguments were assigned to
parameters in function.

Unpacking other iterables:


1) Unpacking tuple (into tuple)
a,b,c =10,20, ‘hello’ -> a=10, b=20, c=’hello’

2) Unpacking string (into tuple)


a,b,c = ‘XYZ’

Instead of writing a= 10 \n b=20


we can write a, b = 10, 20

In fact, unpacking works with any iterable type.

Simple Application of unpacking


1) Swapping values of two variables
a,b = b,a
-> this works because in python, the entire RHS is evaluated first and
completely.
-> Then assignment are made to the RHS.

-> it creates a tuple in memory the first element of that tuple is a memory
address which is what b is pointing to, and the second element is a which
is the memory address of what a is pointing to, and then it does the
assignment, we looking for the copy of memory addresses.

Unpacking Sets and Dictionaries


d = {‘key1’: 1, ‘key2’:2, ‘key3’: 3}
for e in d: --> e iterated through the keys: ‘key1’, key2’, key3

-> so, when unpacking d, we are actually unpacking the keys of d


a,b,c =d

-> Dictionaries and Sets are unordered type.


-> They can be iterated, but there is no gurantee the order of the results
will match your
-> in practice, we rarely unpack sets and dictionaries in precisely this way.

Applied to python >= 3.5

Extended unpacking
-> We don’t always want to unpack every single item in an iterable.
-> We may, for example, want to unpack the first value, and then unpack
the remaining values into another variable.
L = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]
we can achieve this using slicing: a = l[0] b=l[1:]
or using simple unpacking a,b = l[0], l[1:] (aka parallel assignment)

We can use the * operator


-> a, *b = l
-> take the first iterable from l and stuffed into it to and everything else
making into a list and put into a b.

-> Apart from cleaner syntax, it also works with any iterable, not just
sequence types.
Usage with ordered types
a, *b = [-10, 5, 2, 100] ==> a= -10, b=[5,2,100]
a, *b = (-10, 5, 2, 100) ==> a= -10, b=[5,2,100]
a, *b = ‘XYZ’ ==> a= X, b=[‘Y’, ‘Z’]

a, b, *c = 1,2,3,4,5
a, b, *c, d = [1,2,3,4,5]
a, *b, c, d = ‘python’

-> The * operator can only be used once in the LHS an unpacking
assignment.

-> l3 = [*l1, *l2] (merging list)

Usage with unordered types


Types such as sets and dictionaries have no ordering
s = {10, -99, 4, ‘d’}
-> sets and dictionary keys are still iterable, but iterating has no gurantee
of preserving the order in which the elements were created/added

-> But the * operators works, since it works with any iterable.
-> in practice we rarely unpack sets and dictionaries directly in this way.

-> It is useful though in a situation where you might want to create single
collection containing all items of multiple sets, or all the keys og multiple
dictionaries.

-> The ** unpacking operator


-> When working with dictionaries we saw that * essentially iterated the
keys.
-> That ** operator cannot be used in the LHS of an assignment.

D= {**d1, **d2, **d3}

-> Duplicate key values will overwrite.


-> You can even use it to add key-value pair from one or more dict into a
dictionary literals.

Nested unpacking
l = [1,2 [3,4]]

a,b ,c = l
a,b, (c,d) = l

a,*b,(c,d,e) = [1,2,3,’XYZ’]

a, *b, (c,*d) = [1,2,3,’python’]

*args
-> def func1(a, b, *args)
# code
args is a tuple not a list
The * parameter name is arbitary you can make it whatever you want.

*args exhausts positional argument


You cannot add more positional argument after *args

-> We can unpack the list first and then pass it to the function.
-> func(*l)

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