PythonFunction Arguments
Arguments
Information can be passed into functions as arguments.
Arguments are specified after the function name, inside the parentheses.You can add as many arguments as you want, just separate them with a comma.
The following example has a function with one argument (fname).When the function is called, we pass along a first name,which is used inside the function to print the full name:
Example
print(fname + " Refsnes")
my_function("Emil")
my_function("Tobias")
my_function("Linus")
Arguments are often shortened toargs in Python documentations.
Parameters or Arguments?
The termsparameter andargument can be used for the same thing: information that are passed into a function.
From a function's perspective:
A parameter is the variable listed inside the parentheses in the function definition.
An argument is the value that are sent to the function when it is called.
Number of Arguments
By default, a function must be called with the correct number of arguments. Meaning that if your function expects 2 arguments, you have to call the function with 2 arguments, not more, and not less.
Example
This function expects 2 arguments, and gets 2 arguments:
print(fname + " " + lname)
my_function("Emil", "Refsnes")
Example
This function expects 2 arguments, but gets only 1:
print(fname + " " + lname)
my_function("Emil")
Related Pages
Python Functions TutorialFunctionCall a Function*argsKeyword Arguments**kwargsDefault Parameter ValuePassing a List as an ArgumentFunction Return ValueThe pass Statement i FunctionsFunction Recursion
