How Functions Function • A Deeper Dive Into Python Functions

Name: How Functions Function • A Deeper Dive Into Python Functions
Rating: 4.6 (3 reviews)

Taking Python functions to the next level

Created byStephen Gruppetta

Last updated 4/2024

English

What you'll learn

Master intermediate and advanced Python function topics
Learn about required and optional parameters (default values)
Learn about using positional and keyword arguments
Learn about positional-only and keyword-only arguments
Learn about args and kwargs
Learn about generator functions

Course content

7 sections • 37 lectures • 4h 47m total length

Get Comfortable and Enjoy The Ride3:28
Function Names and Function Calls • Returning `None`8:58
Explore how Python functions work: define and call functions in the repl, distinguish function names from calls, and learn that print returns None.
Using Functions as Arguments in Other Functions11:44
Learn to pass functions as arguments to other functions, distinguish parameters from arguments, and call a function by name in a repeat five times example using print.
Parameters and Arguments4:01

What's The Difference Between Positional and Keyword Arguments4:04
compare positional and keyword arguments by rewriting a greet function with host and guest, showing how host says hello to guest, and how order or naming affects calls.
Mixing and Matching Positional and Keyword Arguments5:25
Changing The Order When Using Keyword Arguments8:14
Introducing The Contact List Project13:11
Using Positional and Keyword Arguments • And Using Pretty Print6:30

Adding Default Values to Make Arguments Optional5:29
Learn how to make Python function arguments optional by adding a default value, using a greeting parameter to customize output while preserving compatibility when omitted.
The Order of Parameters With And Without Default Values4:17
Back to The Contact List Project5:30
A Side Note About the Order in Dictionaries4:37
Explore how dictionaries differ from lists by focusing on key-value mappings rather than order, showing that two dictionaries are equal if their key-value pairs match, regardless of order.
The Mutable Default Value Pitfall13:47
Explore the mutable default value pitfall in Python, where a default list is shared across calls; fix by using None and creating a new list inside the function.
A Quick Recap and Revisiting `print()`5:39

A Small Detour: Unpacking12:23
And A Bit More Unpacking4:59
And A Quick Summary of All The New Terms4:20
Using Any Number of Optional Positional Arguments • `*args`11:00
Unmasking `*args`5:38
Some Rules When Using `*args`4:23
Using Any Number of Optional Keyword Arguments • `**kwargs`11:15
And Now, Let's Put `*args` And `**kwargs` Together16:11
Using `*args` in The Contact List Project • Part 19:59
Using `*args` in The Contact List Project • Part 24:03
Using `**kwargs` in The Contact List Project14:37

Requirements

This is an intermediate course on functions. You should already be familiar with defining functions.

Description

This course covers Python functions at intermediate and advanced levels. Once students have mastered the fundamentals of defining and calling functions, they're ready to start exploring more advanced topics. This course enables students to write more flexible and powerful functions and to be better placed to use functions in the standard library and third-party packages.

Functions allow you to package code so you can re-use it flexibly and efficiently whenever and wherever you need to. Understanding all the options available when creating parameters and passing arguments is key to be able to define and use functions effectively.

This course covers the following topics:

Positional and keyword arguments, and the requirements when mixing argument categories.
Optional arguments with default values
*args and **kwargs
Positional-only and keyword-only arguments using / and *
Generator functions using the `yield` keyword

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About me, your instructor

I've been teaching Python for a decade. Before that, I worked as a physicist and used programming in my research work for over a decade.

My focus is on communicating clearly, in a friendly and relaxed manner. I'm the author of the The Python Coding Book (you can ask Google for a "python book" and you'll find this book as one of the first entries) and I have taught Python to individuals and corporations around the world.

And I'm approachable. You can ask me questions and I'll always reply, whether here on social media or anywhere else you can find me!

Who this course is for:

This course is for Python learners ready to move to more intermediate topics
This course is ideal for those who are ready to explore Python functions in more detail

How Functions Function • A Deeper Dive Into Python Functions

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Getting Ready For A Deeper Dive Into Functions4 lectures • 28min

Positional And Keyword Arguments5 lectures • 37min

Optional Arguments With Default Values6 lectures • 39min

Argh!! What Are Those args And kwargs?11 lectures • 1hr 39min

Those Rogue Backslashes and Asterisks • Positional-only and Keyword-only Argumen4 lectures • 27min

Generator Functions Using The `yield` Keyword3 lectures • 29min

Docstrings, Type Hints, And Some General Best Practices4 lectures • 28min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: