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Python Function Argument1

The document explains Python function arguments, detailing how to define and use them, including types such as default, keyword, positional, and arbitrary arguments. It provides examples for each type, demonstrating how to implement them in functions. The document also highlights the importance of argument order and the use of *args and **kwargs for variable-length arguments.

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Jeyanthi Vel
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3 views4 pages

Python Function Argument1

The document explains Python function arguments, detailing how to define and use them, including types such as default, keyword, positional, and arbitrary arguments. It provides examples for each type, demonstrating how to implement them in functions. The document also highlights the importance of argument order and the use of *args and **kwargs for variable-length arguments.

Uploaded by

Jeyanthi Vel
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Python Function Arguments

Arguments are the values passed inside the parenthesis of the function. A function
can have any number of arguments separated by a comma.

In this example, we will create a simple function in Python to check whether the
number passed as an argument to the function is even or odd.

# A simple Python function to check

# whether x is even or odd

def evenOdd(x):

if (x % 2 == 0):

print("even")

else:

print("odd")

# Driver code to call the function

evenOdd(2)

evenOdd(3)

Types of Python Function Arguments


Python supports various types of arguments that can be passed at the time of the function
call. In Python, we have the following function argument types in Python:

 Default argument

 Keyword arguments (named arguments)

 Positional arguments

 Arbitrary arguments (variable-length arguments *args and **kwargs)

Default Arguments
A default argument is a parameter that assumes a default value if a value is not
provided in the function call for that argument. The following example illustrates Default
arguments to write functions in Python.
# Python program to demonstrate
# default arguments
def myFun(x, y=50):
print("x: ", x)
print("y: ", y)
# Driver code (We call myFun() with only
# argument)
myFun(10)

Output:
x: 10
y: 50

Keyword Arguments

The idea is to allow the caller to specify the argument name with values so that the
caller does not need to remember the order of parameters.

# Python program to demonstrate Keyword Arguments

def student(firstname, lastname):

print(firstname, lastname)

# Keyword arguments

student(firstname='Geeks', lastname='Practice')

student(lastname='Practice', firstname='Geeks')

Positional Arguments

We used the Position argument during the function call so that the first argument
(or value) is assigned to name and the second argument (or value) is assigned to age. By
changing the position, or if you forget the order of the positions, the values can be used in
the wrong places, as shown in the Case-2 example below, where 27 is assigned to the name
and Suraj is assigned to the age.

def nameAge(name, age):

print("Hi, I am", name)

print("My age is ", age)

# You will get correct output because

# argument is given in order

print("Case-1:")
nameAge("Suraj", 27)

# You will get incorrect output because

# argument is not in order

print("\nCase-2:")

nameAge(27, "Suraj")

Output:

Case-1:
Hi, I am Suraj
My age is 27
Case-2:
Hi, I am 27
My age is Suraj

Arbitrary Keyword Arguments

In Python Arbitrary Keyword Arguments, *args, and **kwargs can pass a variable
number of arguments to a function using special symbols. There are two special symbols:

 *args in Python (Non-Keyword Arguments)

 **kwargs in Python (Keyword Arguments)

Example 1: Variable length non-keywords argument

# Python program to illustrate

# *args for variable number of arguments

def myFun(*argv):

for arg in argv:

print(arg)

myFun('Hello', 'Welcome', 'to', 'GeeksforGeeks')

Output:

Hello
Welcome
to
GeeksforGeeks

Example 2: Variable length keyword arguments

# Python program to illustrate

# *kwargs for variable number of keyword arguments

def myFun(**kwargs):

for key, value in kwargs.items():

print("%s == %s" % (key, value))

# Driver code

myFun(first='Geeks', mid='for', last='Geeks')

Output:

first == Geeks
mid == for
last == Geeks

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