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T 14 - Beginner Programming With Functions

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12 views

T 14 - Beginner Programming With Functions

Uploaded by

lingming12001
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

SE Bootcamp

Beginner
Programming with
Functions
Welcome

Your Lecturer for this session

Logan Meadows
1. Understanding functions

2. Calling functions

Objectives 3. Creating self-defined functions

4. Understanding function scope


What is a Function?

● Reusable and Organised block of code.


● Sometimes called a ‘method’.
● Similar to functions in maths - f(x) takes input x and
produces some output.
● Useful for abstraction.
○ For example, “make a cup of tea” vs “boil water, add
tea bag, add sugar, add milk, stir”.
Calling Functions

● Functions with one required positional input:


○ my_function(input1)
● Functions with two required positional inputs:
○ my_function(input1, input2)
● Functions with one required positional input and one
optional keyword input:
○ my_function(input1, keyword_arg=input2)
Functions in Python

● Python comes bundled with in-built functions.


● Examples:
○ print(string) - prints string to console.
○ input(string) - prints string to console, then reads
input as string.
○ len(array) - finds the length of an array.
○ int(data) - converts the value to an integer.
Is that all of the Functions in
Python?

● The list of functions that you can use in Python doesn’t just
stop with what is built in.
● Using Pip (python package manager), you can install
various packages containing modules.
○ Note: Some packages are already installed by default
in Python, such as the maths package.
● These modules can be imported into your script using an
import statement.
Importing Modules

● Let’s take a look at the maths module. Let’s say that you
want to use round(), which rounds a number off. There are
two ways to access this:
● import math
my_result = math.round(my_num, 2)

● from math import round


my_result = round(my_num, 2)
Creating our own Functions

● Uses the def keyword (for define):


○ def add_one(x): # function called add_one
y=x+1
return y
● Important keywords:
○ def - tells Python you are defining a function
○ return - if your function returns a value, then use this
keyword to return it.
Some Important Terms

● Function - A block of code that performs an action.


● Method - Same thing as a function.
● Parameters - The defined input of a function.
● Arguments - The values passed to parameters.
Why Functions?
● Reusable code - Sometimes you need to do the same task
over and over again.
● Error checking/validation - Makes this easier, as you can
define all rules in one place.
● Divide code up into manageable chunks - Makes code
easier to understand.
● More rapid application development - The same
functionality doesn’t need to be defined again.
● Easier maintenance - Code only needs to be changed in
one place.
Scope

● Where is a variable accessible in Python?


● Generally, whenever code is executed, variables become
accessible across the entire script.
○ For example, you can define a variable within an if-
statement and access it outside the if-statement after it
is executed.
● Functions are different, however. Variables declared within
functions are not accessible outside the function.
○ This avoids variable names being overwritten.
Default Values

● Remember optional keyword arguments? These are made


with default values.
● def multiply(num1, num2 = 5):
● This can be called with multiply(10), for example.
● The default value can be overwritten with multiply(10,
num2=6).
Q & A Section
Please use this time to ask any questions
relating to the topic explained, should you have
any
Thank you
for joining us

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