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T 14 - Beginner Programming With Functions

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6 views

T 14 - Beginner Programming With Functions

Uploaded by

lingming12001
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

SE Bootcamp

Beginner
Programming with
Functions
Welcome

Your Lecturer for this session

Logan Meadows
1. Understanding functions

2. Calling functions

Objectives 3. Creating self-defined functions

4. Understanding function scope


What is a Function?

● Reusable and Organised block of code.


● Sometimes called a ‘method’.
● Similar to functions in maths - f(x) takes input x and
produces some output.
● Useful for abstraction.
○ For example, “make a cup of tea” vs “boil water, add
tea bag, add sugar, add milk, stir”.
Calling Functions

● Functions with one required positional input:


○ my_function(input1)
● Functions with two required positional inputs:
○ my_function(input1, input2)
● Functions with one required positional input and one
optional keyword input:
○ my_function(input1, keyword_arg=input2)
Functions in Python

● Python comes bundled with in-built functions.


● Examples:
○ print(string) - prints string to console.
○ input(string) - prints string to console, then reads
input as string.
○ len(array) - finds the length of an array.
○ int(data) - converts the value to an integer.
Is that all of the Functions in
Python?

● The list of functions that you can use in Python doesn’t just
stop with what is built in.
● Using Pip (python package manager), you can install
various packages containing modules.
○ Note: Some packages are already installed by default
in Python, such as the maths package.
● These modules can be imported into your script using an
import statement.
Importing Modules

● Let’s take a look at the maths module. Let’s say that you
want to use round(), which rounds a number off. There are
two ways to access this:
● import math
my_result = math.round(my_num, 2)

● from math import round


my_result = round(my_num, 2)
Creating our own Functions

● Uses the def keyword (for define):


○ def add_one(x): # function called add_one
y=x+1
return y
● Important keywords:
○ def - tells Python you are defining a function
○ return - if your function returns a value, then use this
keyword to return it.
Some Important Terms

● Function - A block of code that performs an action.


● Method - Same thing as a function.
● Parameters - The defined input of a function.
● Arguments - The values passed to parameters.
Why Functions?
● Reusable code - Sometimes you need to do the same task
over and over again.
● Error checking/validation - Makes this easier, as you can
define all rules in one place.
● Divide code up into manageable chunks - Makes code
easier to understand.
● More rapid application development - The same
functionality doesn’t need to be defined again.
● Easier maintenance - Code only needs to be changed in
one place.
Scope

● Where is a variable accessible in Python?


● Generally, whenever code is executed, variables become
accessible across the entire script.
○ For example, you can define a variable within an if-
statement and access it outside the if-statement after it
is executed.
● Functions are different, however. Variables declared within
functions are not accessible outside the function.
○ This avoids variable names being overwritten.
Default Values

● Remember optional keyword arguments? These are made


with default values.
● def multiply(num1, num2 = 5):
● This can be called with multiply(10), for example.
● The default value can be overwritten with multiply(10,
num2=6).
Q & A Section
Please use this time to ask any questions
relating to the topic explained, should you have
any
Thank you
for joining us

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