What are types of arguments in Python?

Regina 183 Published: 09/12/2024

What are types of arguments in Python?

I'm happy to help!

Python is a dynamically-typed language that supports multiple programming paradigms, including procedural, object-oriented, and functional styles. In this regard, Python offers various types of arguments that can be passed to functions or methods. Here are the most common types:

Positional Arguments: These are the most basic type of argument, where a function or method is called with values in the order they were defined. For example:
def greet(name):

print(f"Hello, {name}!")

greet("John") # Output: Hello, John!

Keyword Arguments: Also known as named arguments, these allow you to pass values explicitly by their name. In Python, this is achieved using the **kwargs syntax in function definitions and the {key: value} syntax when calling a function:
def greet(name, age):

print(f"Hello, {name}! You are {age} years old.")

greet("John", 30) # Output: Hello, John! You are 30 years old.

Default Arguments: In Python, you can specify default values for function arguments. If no value is passed when calling the function, it will use the default:
def greet(name, age=18):

print(f"Hello, {name}! You are {age} years old.")

greet("John") # Output: Hello, John! You are 18 years old.

Variable-Length Arguments: This allows you to pass a variable number of arguments using the *args syntax in function definitions and the args[0], args[1], etc., syntax when accessing the values:
def sum_numbers(*numbers):

total = 0

for num in numbers:

total += num

return total

print(sum_numbers(1, 2, 3)) # Output: 6

Arbitrary Keyword Arguments: Also known as arbitrary keyword arguments (kwargs), these enable you to pass any number of named arguments using the **kwargs syntax in function definitions and the {key: value} syntax when accessing the values:
def greet(**person):

print(f"Hello, {person['name']}! You are {person['age']} years old.")

greet(name="John", age=30) # Output: Hello, John! You are 30 years old.

Mixed-Type Arguments: Python functions can accept a mix of positional and keyword arguments:
def greet(name, *, title):

print(f"{title} {name}!")

greet("John", title="Mr.") # Output: Mr. John!

In summary, Python offers various types of arguments that allow for flexible function definition and calling mechanisms. By mastering these concepts, you can write more efficient, readable, and maintainable code.

Hope this helps!

What are the 4 types of arguments in python with examples

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In Python, there are four main types of functions: Functions, Methods, Lambda Functions, and Generator Functions.

Functions

A function is a block of code that can be executed multiple times from different parts of your program. It takes in parameters (inputs) and returns values. Here's an example:

def add(x, y):

return x + y

print(add(3, 4)) # Output: 7

In this example, the add function adds two numbers together and returns the result. You can call it multiple times with different inputs to get different results.

Methods

A method is a type of function that is associated with an object (like a class instance). It's like a special set of instructions that belongs to a specific thing (object). Here's an example:

class Person:

def init(self, name):

self.name = name

def say_hello(self):

print(f"Hello, my name is {self.name}!")

john = Person("John")

jane = Person("Jane")

john.say_hello() # Output: Hello, my name is John!

jane.say_hello() # Output: Hello, my name is Jane!

In this example, the say_hello method belongs to each Person object. When you call it on an instance (like john or jane), it uses the information specific to that object.

Lambda Functions

A lambda function is a small anonymous function. It's like a mini-function that can be defined quickly without having to write out the entire function structure. Here's an example:

numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

squared_numbers = list(map(lambda x: x ** 2, numbers))

print(squared_numbers) # Output: [1, 4, 9, 16, 25]

In this example, the lambda function lambda x: x ** 2 is used to square each number in the numbers list. The map function applies this lambda function to each element in the list.

Generator Functions

A generator function is a special type of function that can be used to create iterators. It's like a function that produces a sequence of values on-the-fly, rather than all at once. Here's an example:

def infinite_sequence():

num = 0

while True:

yield num

num += 1

gen = infinite_sequence()

for _ in range(5):

print(next(gen)) # Output: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4

In this example, the infinite_sequence generator function produces an endless sequence of numbers. The next function is used to get each value from the generator one at a time.

These are the four main types of functions in Python!