Python Functions

What is a function in Python?

• Is a group of related statements that perform
a specific task
• Help break our program into smaller and
modular chunks
• As program grows larger and larger, functions
make it more organized and manageable
• Furthermore, it avoids repetition and makes
code reusable
Syntax of Function
Example of a function
Docstring
The return statement
How Function works in Python?
 Scope and Lifetime of variables
• Scope of a variable is the portion of a program where
the variable is recognized
• Parameters and variables defined inside a function is
not visible from outside. Hence, they have a local
scope.
• Lifetime of a variable is the period throughout which
the variable exits in the memory.
• The lifetime of variables inside a function is as long as
the function executes.
• They are destroyed once we return from the function.
Hence, a function does not remember the value of a
variable from its previous calls.
Example
 Types of Functions
• Can be divided into the following two types:
– Built-in functions: Functions that are built into
Python
– User-defined functions: Functions defined by the
users themselves
Arguments
Python Default Arguments
Python Keyword Arguments
Python Arbitrary Arguments
 Python Recursion
• What is recursion in Python?
• Python Recursive Function
• Advantages of Recursion
• Disadvantages of Recursion
 What is recursion in Python?
• Recursion is the process of defining something
in terms of itself
• A physical world example would be to place
two parallel mirrors facing each other
• Any object in between them would be
reflected recursively
Python Recursive Function
 Advantages of Recursion
• Make the code look clean and elegant
• A complex task can be broken down into
simpler sub-problems using recursion
 Disadvantages of Recursion
• Sometimes the logic behind recursion is hard
to follow through
• Recursive calls are expensive (inefficient) as
they take up a lot of memory and time
• Recursive functions are hard to debug
Python Anonymous/Lambda Function
• What are lambda functions in Python?
• How to use lambda Functions in Python?
– Syntax of Lambda Function in python
– Example of Lambda Function in python
– Use of Lambda Function in python
What are lambda functions in Python?
• In Python, anonymous function is a function
that is defined without a name.
• While normal functions are defined using the
def keyword, in Python anonymous
functions are defined using the lambda
keyword.
• Hence, anonymous functions are also called
lambda functions.
 How to use lambda Functions in
Python?
• Syntax of Lambda Function in python
Example of Lambda Function in python
Use of Lambda Function in python
 Python Global, Local and Nonlocal
variables
• Global Variables in Python
• Local Variables in Python
• Global and Local Variables Together
• Nonlocal Variables in Python
Global Variables in Python
Local Variables in Python
Global and Local Variables Together
Nonlocal Variables in Python
 Python Global Keyword
• Python global Keyword
– Rules of global Keyword
– Use of global Keyword
(With Example)
• Global Variables Across
Python Modules
• Global in Nested
Functions in Python
 Python global Keyword
• The basic rules for global keyword in Python are:
– When we create a variable inside a function, it’s local
by default
– When we define a variable outside of a function, it’s
global by default. We don’t have to use global
keyword.
– We use global keyword to read and write a global
variable inside a function.
– Use of global keyword outside a function has no
effect
Global Variables Across Python
Modules
Global in Nested Functions
 Python Modules
• What are modules in Python?
• How to import modules in Python?
– Python import statement
– Import with renaming
– Python from...import statement
– Import all names
• Python Module Search Path
• Reloading a module
• The dir() built-in function
 What are modules in Python?
• File containing Python statements and
definitions
– Example: example.py, is called a module
• Use to break down large programs into small
manageable and organized files.
• Provide reusability of code
• Can define our most used functions in a
module and import it, instead of copying their
definitions into different programs
How to import modules in Python?
• Python import statement
• Import with renaming
• Python from...import statement
• Import all names
Python import statement
Import with renaming
Python from...import statement
Import all names
 Python Module Search Path
• While importing a module, Python looks at
several places.
• Interpreter first looks for a built-in module then
(if not found) into a list of directories defined in
sys.path.
• The search is in this order.
– The current directory.
– PYTHONPATH (an environment variable with a list of
directory).
– The installation-dependent default directory.
Reloading a module
 The dir() built-in function
• We can use the dir() function to find out
names that are defined inside a module.
 Python Package
• What are packages?
• Importing module from a package
 What are packages?
• We don't usually store all of our files in our
computer in the same location.
• Similar files are kept in the same directory, for
example, we may keep all the songs in the
"music" directory.
• Analogous to this, Python has packages for
directories and modules for files.
• As our application program grows larger in size
with a lot of modules, we place similar modules
in one package and different modules in different
packages.
• Similar, as a directory can contain sub-directories
and files, a Python package can have sub-
packages and modules.
• A directory must contain a file named init
.py in order for Python to consider it as a
package.
• This file can be left empty but we generally place
the initialization code for that package in this file
 Importing module from a package
• We can import modules from packages using the
dot (.) operator.
• For example, if we want to import the start
module in the above example, it is done
as follows.
– import Game.Level.start
• Now if this module contains a function named
select_difficulty(), we must use the full name to
reference it.
– G a m e . L e v e l . s t a r t . s e l e c t _ d i ff i c u l t y ( 2 )
• We can also import the module without the
package prefix as follows
– from Game.Level import s t a r t
• We can now call the function simply as
follows.
– start.select_difficulty(2)
• Yet another way of importing just the required
function (or class or variable) form a module
within a package would be as follows.
– from Game.Level . s t a r t
import select_difficulty
• Now we can directly call this
function.
– select_difficulty(2)
Thank You !