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Functions

Samuel Marateck ©2010

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A function is a set of statements that can be

referred by the function name. To start

writing a function.

1. In the File menu in the shell choose New Window.

2. In the new window start by writing the header

def name():

where name is the name you choose for your function

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The following is a function that will print NYU 10 times.def tenTimes(): for j in range(10): print(‘NYU’)Note that the header starts with def and ends with a colon. The function name must be followed by (). We will later see what the() are used for.

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The colon here serves the same function as

it does for the if statement. It automatically

indents the following statements.

def tenTimes():

for j in range(10):

print(‘NYU’)

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Before you execute the function, you must

save it. Do this by choosing Save on the File

menu and then Run Menu on the Run menu.

When you do this, you will be taken to the

shell where you will see >>>

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Type the function name and ().

>>>tenTimes().

This will be followed by the output.

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In order to run the function from the new

window do the following:

def tenTimes():

for j in range(10):

print(‘NYU’)

tenTimes()

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Now when you hit Run Module, the output

will appear in the shell.

Although this is a convenient way of running

the function, it will not work if you want to

execute many functions.

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The best way of running the program is to write a main() function as shown here.def tenTimes(): for j in range(10): print(‘NYU’)Def main(): tenTimes()main()

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Again when you hit Run Module, the output will be displayed in the shell.You don’t have to call the method that calls the function, main() as we see here. We call it duh().def tenTimes(): for j in range(10): print(‘NYU’)Def duh(): tenTimes()duh()

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If you wanted the upper limit of the for loop

to be fed to the function, you could do it by

using a parameter, the entity appearing

between the (). Thus you would write,

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def tenTimes(n):

for j in range(n):

print(‘NYU’)

def main():

m = 10

tenTimes(m)

main()

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Here m is the actual parameter and n is the

dummy or formal parameter. The value of m

is copied into n. This is a one-way process

as we will soon explain.

The actual and dummy parameters do not

have to be different variables.

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Here both the actual and dummy parameters aren.def tenTimes(n): for j in range(n): print(‘NYU’)Def main(): n = 10 tenTimes(n)main()

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Just as before there are two locations. The n in main() labels a different location than n in tenTimes does.

Now let’s see what happens if we change the value of the dummy parameter in a function if it changes the value of the actual parameter

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Now let’s see what happens if we change the value of the dummy parameter in a function if it changes the value of the actual parameter.def change(num): num = 4 def main(): n = 8 change(n) print(n) main()What value of n is printed in main()?

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What value of n is printed in main()?def change(num): num = 4 def main(): n = 8 change(n) print(n) main() The function main() prints 8

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Now we see a function with two parameters:

def f(x, y):

print(x + y**2)

def main():

f(1, 3)

main()

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def f(x, y):

print(x + y**2)

def main():

f(1, 3)

main()

The order of the 1 and 3 determined what is

printed f(3,1) would give a different answer.

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def f(x, y):

print(x + y**2)

def main():

f(3, 1)

main()

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What happens if we want a function to return

a value. Let’s write a function that returns

the sum of integers to n:

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What happens if we want a function to return a value. Let’s write a function that returns the sum of integers to n:def add(n): sum = 0 for j in range(1,n + 1): sum = sum + j return sumThe return statement returns execution to the main() function.

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How do we write main() so that we can use

add() in main()?

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How do we write main() so that we can use add() in main()?def add(n): sum = 0 for j in range(1,n + 1): sum = sum + j return sumdef main(): total = add(5)

print(total)main()

We use a return statement at the end of the function add. This returnsthe execution to add(5) and the result is assigned to total.

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Can we write main() in another way so that

we can call add(n)?

def add(n):

sum = 0

for j in range(1,n + 1):

sum = sum + j

return sum

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Can we write main() in another way?def add(n): sum = 0 for j in range(1,n + 1): sum = sum + j return sumdef main():

print(add(5))main()

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Now we call add() in the print().def add(n): sum = 0 for j in range(1,n + 1): sum = sum + j return sumdef main():

print(add(5))main()The value returned to add(5) is printed in main().

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Whenever the results of a function are

assigned to a variable in the calling function,

here main(), or used in a print(), the function

must have a return statement. Let’s see

what happens if we forget to use a return

statement

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def increment(x):

y = x + 1

def main():

z = increment(x)

print(z)

main()

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def increment(x): y = x + 1def main(): z = increment(x)

print(z)main()Since increment doesn’t return any value, nothing can be assigned to z. What is printed?

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def increment(x): y = x + 1def main(): z = increment(x)

print(z)main()Since increment doesn’t return any value, nothing can be assigned to z. What is printed?

The computer prints None.

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We can use more than one return in a function:def greater(a, b): if a > b: return a

else: return b def main(): print(greater(3, 7)) main()

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Using a default parameter:def greater(a, b = 6): if a > b: return a else: return b def main(): z = greater(3) print(z)main()

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Using a default parameter:def greater(a, b = 6): if a > b: return a else: return b def main(): z = greater(3) print(z)main() The actual parameters are now 3, and by default, 6

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Using a default parameter:def greater(a, b = 6): if a > b: return a else: return b def main(): z = greater(3) print(z)main() The default parameters must follow the regularparameter, so def greater( a = 6, b): causes an error.

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Using a default parameter. If we use two actual parameters, they override the default parameter.def greater(a, b = 6): if a > b: return a else: return b def main(): z = greater(3,8) print(z)main() The value 8 is printed.

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The main() function can call more than one function:def greater(a, b): if a > b: return a else: return b def f(x,y): z = x + y**2 return z def main(): u = greater(3, 7) print(u) s = f(3,4) print(s)main()