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Functions

Functions#

Note: You can explore the associated workbook for this chapter in the cloud.

A function is way of bundling up code to perform specific tasks. It’s kind of like making a little Python wind-up toy that runs on command.

https://www.tintoyarcade.com/image/cache/data/product/Images_5100_5199/TTA5100-Penguin-Windup-01-1000x1000.jpg

Functions are useful because they can help make your code more organized and save you from repetition. If you have to do some task over and over again, you don’t want to write out the same code over and over again from scratch.

We’ve encountered built-in Python functions many times already, including:

  • print()

  • len()

  • type()

These functions contain bundled up code that perform specific tasks whenever we call them.

Define a Function#

To make your own function, you use the keyword def, short for define, followed by your desired name for the function, parentheses (()) and a colon (:).

Then, on the following lines, you indent one tab over and write some code that you want your function to perform.

def sing_beyonce_lyrics():
    print("Okay, okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay")
    print("Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay")
    print("Prove to me you got some coordination, 'cause I slay")
    print("Slay trick, or you get eliminated")
    return

Finally, you complete the function with a return statement. Sometimes you will want to return a specific value but here we’re not returning anything.

If you don’t indent the line following the definition of the function, you will get an error. Behold the importance of the indent:

def sing_beyonce_lyrics():
print("Okay, okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay")
print("Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay")
print("Prove to me you got some coordination, 'cause I slay")
print("Slay trick, or you get eliminated")
    return 

  File "<ipython-input-44-84eb5910ae83>", line 2
    print("Okay, okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay")
        ^
IndentationError: expected an indented block

Call a Function#

To use or “call” a function, you simply type the name of the function with parentheses.

sing_beyonce_lyrics()

Okay, okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay
Okay, ladies, now let's get in formation, 'cause I slay
Prove to me you got some coordination, 'cause I slay
Slay trick, or you get eliminated

def sing_happy_birthday():
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    print("Happy Birthday dear human life form")
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    return 

sing_happy_birthday()

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear human life form
Happy Birthday to you

Add Parameters/Arguments#

You can add “parameters” to your functions—or values that are required by your function—by putting parameter names inside the parentheses.

For example, if we want to personalize our birthday song function to include a specific person’s name, we can add the parameter personalized_name inside the parentheses, which will require a personalized name to be passed to the function. The thing you pass to the function is called an “argument.”

  • parameter = personalized_name (thing that requires a value for the function)

  • argument = “Beyonce” (actual value passed to function)

Since parameters and arguments are so interrelated, they’re sometimes confused for each other. You can read Python’s official distinction here.

def sing_personalized_happy_birthday(personalized_name):
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    print(f"Happy Birthday dear {personalized_name}")
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    return

We’re using whatever name gets passed to the function inside an f-string: f"Happy Birthday dear {personalized_name}"

Once you set a parameter that requires an argument, you have to pass something inside the function for the function to run. So if we run sing_personalized_happy_birthday() as we did with sing_happy_birthday(), it won’t work.

sing_personalized_happy_birthday()

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TypeError                                 Traceback (most recent call last)
<ipython-input-21-c1982126dedb> in <module>()
----> 1 sing_personalized_happy_birthday()

TypeError: sing_personalized_happy_birthday() missing 1 required positional argument: 'name'

This error is telling us that we have to pass in a value or “argument.”

sing_personalized_happy_birthday("Beyonce")

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Beyonce
Happy Birthday to you

sing_personalized_happy_birthday("Carly Rae Jepsen")

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Carly Rae Jepsen
Happy Birthday to you

sing_personalized_happy_birthday(#Insert Your Name Here)

Keyword Arguments#

There’s another way that you can require arguments in a function, which is with keyword arguments. Before we were using “positional arguments,” where the function automatically knew that “Beyonce” was the personalized_name argument simply because “Beyonce” was in the right position. (There was only one argument required, so, duh.)

But you can also explicitly define your arguments with keyword arguments that use an = sign, which can become more useful if you have multiple parameters. This can also be a way of setting default values in your functions.

def sing_keyword_happy_birthday(to_name='Beyonce', from_name='Info 1350'):
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    print(f"Happy Birthday dear {to_name}")
    print("Happy Birthday to you")
    print(f"\nSincerely, \n{from_name}")
    return

For example, if we don’t pass in any arguments into this function, it will use the default arguments.

sing_keyword_happy_birthday()

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Beyonce
Happy Birthday to you

Sincerely, 
Info 1350

But if we set the keyword arguments to different values—even if we switch the order or position of the arguments!—the function will know which arguments they’re supposed to be.

sing_keyword_happy_birthday(from_name="Big Bird", to_name="Cookie Monster")

Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday to you
Happy Birthday dear Cookie Monster
Happy Birthday to you

Sincerely, 
Big Bird

Return Values#

In all of the examples above, we weren’t returning any specific value, just using print() statements. But sometimes you want a specific value out of your function. For example, if we want to make a function that transforms a bit of text into very loud-sounding text, then we’ll want to return that loud-sounding text.

def make_text_shouty(text):
    shouty_text = text.upper()
    return shouty_text

make_text_shouty("I like tacos")

'I LIKE TACOS'

def make_text_shoutier(text):
    shouty_text = text.upper()
    shoutier_text = shouty_text + '!!!'
    return shoutier_text

make_text_shoutier("I like tacos")

'I LIKE TACOS!!!'

def calculate_dog_years_age(age):
    dog_years_age = age * 7
    return dog_years_age

calculate_dog_years_age(52)

364

Your Turn!#

Make a function called make_text_whispery that transforms text to lower case

#Your Code Here
    whispery_text = #Your Code Here
    return #Your Code Here

Now insert the string “I AM WHISPERING” into make_text_whispery

#Your Code Here

'i am whispering'
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