Best Post On Types Of Function Arguments In Python- 4

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Types of function arguments in python

All parameters and arguments has specific way to be used in function.We will be studying function arguments and their types in this post.

Various types of function arguments in python are as follows:

Default Arguments
Required Arguments
Keyword Arguments
Variable-length Arguments

Default Arguments

A default argument is used to provide a default value if user do not provide input value to the function parameter by passing actual parameter in function call.
We can set a default value to the parameter in function definition itself.
We can choose a parameter which can have default or fixed value in absence of input from user.

Example

"""
Author : ITVoyagers (itvoyagers.in)

Date :7th September 2020

Description : Program to show use of default argument

"""
# DEFAULT ARGUMENTS
#here classname is set as default value
def display(name,classname="FYCS"):
    print("name:",name)
    print("classname:",classname)
    return

# here we are providing both values
print("Output for default argument")
print("----------------------------------")
display(name="rohit",classname="SYIT")

""" here we are providing only name ,
FYCS will come automatically because
we have set it as defalut value"""

display(name="ronit")

Output

Required Arguments

A required argument is indicating that it is necessary to provide a value or actual argument in function call if parameters are mentioned in function definition.
If a user do not provide input value to the function parameter by passing actual parameter in function call in correct positional order than an exception arises.
In required arguments the number of arguments passed in a function call must be equal to the number of parameters defined in function definition

Example

"""
Author : ITVoyagers (itvoyagers.in)

Date :7th September 2020

Description : Program to show use of required argument

"""
# REQUIRED ARGUMENTS
value="Team ITVoyagers welcome you!!"
def show(value):
    print(value)
    return
show()

NOTE: As in above example one parameter is present in function definition but no actual argument is passed so we get and error.So we can check by passing one value in function call i.e. show(value).

Output

Keyword Arguments

The keyword arguments can be mentioned in function all as key = value.
As other arguments are positional this type of arguments allows user to provide value in non – positional manner.
**kwargs can be used in function definition to allow keyword arguments in function.
**kwargs works just like *args, but instead of accepting positional arguments it accepts keyword or named arguments.
In a function call we can directly mention keyword argument with above mentioned syntax.

Example 1

"""
Author : ITVoyagers (itvoyagers.in)

Date :7th September 2020

Description : Program to show use of keyword argument

"""
#KEYWORD ARGUMENTS
# Example 1
print("Output of example 1")
print("--------------------------------")
def show(value): 
    print (value)
    return
show(value="Team ITVoyagers welcome you!!nn")

# Example 2

print("Output of example 2")
print("--------------------------------")
def join_me(**kwargs):
    result = ""
    # Iterating over the Python kwargs dictionary
    for arg in kwargs.values():
        result += arg
    return result

print(join_me(p="cat  ",q="pat  ",r="sat  ",s="rat  ", t="mat  "))

Output

Variable – length Arguments

Variable – length arguments allow user to pass any number of arguments in function call.
In this type of arguments we can pass values apart from default and required arguments present in function definition.
To define variable – length argument ” * ” asterisk is used before parameter name, i.e *args .
This enables user to pass multiple actual arguments in single parameter.

Example 1

"""
Author : ITVoyagers (itvoyagers.in)

Date :7th September 2020

Description : Program to show use of variable - length argument

"""
# VARIBLE - LENGTH ARGUMENTS
print("Output of variable - length arguments")
print("-------------------------------------------")
def show(name,*argss):
    print("result is:")
    print(name)
    for var in argss:
        print(var)
    return
show("tony",90)
show("captain",85)
show("banner",85,80,75)

Output