Positional arguments in python geeksforgeeks

Jim 27 Published: 09/19/2024

Positional arguments in python geeksforgeeks

Positional Arguments in Python: GeeksforGeeks

In Python programming language, positional arguments are the way to pass values to a function when it is called. The position of the argument in the function definition corresponds to the order of the argument passed while calling the function.

Let's understand this with an example:

def my_function(arg1, arg2):

print(f"arg1: {arg1}, arg2: {arg2}")

my_function(10, 20)

In the above code, arg1 and arg2 are positional arguments. When we call the function with my_function(10, 20), 10 is passed as the value for arg1 and 20 is passed as the value for arg2. This means that when you define your function, the order of the parameters matters.

Here's how positional arguments work:

Positional Arguments are matched by position: In Python, when we call a function, we can pass the required number of positional arguments in the correct order. The arguments will be matched based on their position. Default Values for Positional Arguments: We can assign default values to the function parameters while defining them. This means that if you don't provide an argument for that parameter when calling the function, it will automatically take the default value.
def my_function(arg1='default', arg2=20):

print(f"arg1: {arg1}, arg2: {arg2}")

my_function(10) # Output: arg1: default, arg2: 10

In this case, arg1 has a default value of 'default' and when we don't provide it while calling the function (my_function(10)), it automatically takes 'default'.

Key-Value Pairs: In Python, you can also use dictionaries to pass keyword arguments. These are like optional parameters.
def my_function(**kwargs):

for key, value in kwargs.items():

print(f"{key}: {value}")

my_function(name='John', age=20) # Output: name: John, age: 20

Here **kwargs is a dictionary of keyword arguments. We can access the values by using their keys.

Mixing Positional and Keyword Arguments: You can also use a combination of positional and keyword arguments when calling a function.
def my_function(arg1, arg2='default', **kwargs):

print(f"arg1: {arg1}, arg2: {arg2}")

my_function(10, name='John') # Output: arg1: 10, arg2: default

In this case, we pass 10 as the value for arg1, 'default' will be taken for arg2, and we use keyword argument name='John'.

Conclusion:

Positional arguments are an essential concept in Python programming. They allow you to pass values to a function when it is called, and they are matched based on their position. You can assign default values to positional arguments, and also use dictionaries for passing keyword arguments. Understanding how to work with positional and keyword arguments will make your Python programming more efficient and effective.

Keyword arguments Python example

I'd be happy to help!

In Python, a keyword argument is an argument that is passed to a function using the keyword that corresponds to the parameter name. For instance:

def my_function(name, age):

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

my_function(age=30, name="John")

In this example, we're calling the my_function with two arguments: age=30 and name="John". The function will then use these values to print a greeting message.

Keyword arguments can be useful when you want to pass multiple arguments to a function in a specific order. They also help avoid confusion between positional and keyword arguments. For example, if we were to call the my_function without specifying the argument names:

my_function(30, "John")

Python would interpret this as calling the function with two positional arguments: name=30 and age="John". This is probably not what you intended!

Now, let's take a look at an example that uses keyword arguments in Python. Here's a simple function called person_info:

def person_info(**kwargs):

for key, value in kwargs.items():

print(f"{key.capitalize()}: {value}")

person_info(name="Alice", age=25, occupation="Student")

In this example, we're calling the person_info with three keyword arguments: name="Alice", age=25, and occupation="Student".

The person_info function iterates over each key-value pair in the kwargs dictionary (which is passed as a keyword argument) using the .items() method. For each iteration, it prints out the key capitalized along with its corresponding value.

If we call the person_info without specifying the argument names:

person_info("Alice", 25, "Student")

Python would interpret this as calling the function with three positional arguments: name="Alice", age=25, and occupation="Student".

Again, keyword arguments help us avoid confusion between positional and keyword arguments!

So there you have it! Keyword arguments in Python can be super helpful when working with functions. They allow you to pass multiple arguments with specific names in a clear and concise manner.

Do you have any questions about keyword arguments or would you like me to explain anything further?