Python has functions like most other languages, but it does not have separate header files like c++ or interface/ implementation sections like Pascal. When you need a function, just declare it, like this:

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def approximate_size(size, a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes=True):

The keyword def starts the function declaration, followed by the function name, followed by the arguments in parentheses. Multiple arguments are separated with commas.

Also note that the function doesn’t define a return datatype. Python functions do not specify the datatype of their return value; they don’t even specify whether or not they return a value. (In fact, every Python function returns a value; if the function ever executes a return statement, it will return that value, otherwise it will return None, the Python null value.)

In some languages, functions (that return a value) start with function, and subroutines (that do not return a value) start with sub. There are no subroutines in Python. Everything is a function, all functions return a value (even if it’s None), and all functions start with def.

When you need a function, just declare it. The approximate_size() function takes the two arguments — size and a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes — but neither argument specifies a datatype. In Python, variables are never explicitly typed. Python figures out what type a variable is and keeps track of it internally.

In Java and other statically-typed languages, you must specify the datatype of the function return value and each function argument. In Python, you never explicitly specify the datatype of anything. Based on what value you assign, Python keeps track of the datatype internally.

Optional and named arguments

Python allows function arguments to have default values; if the function is called without the argument, the argument gets its default value. Furthermore, arguments can be specified in any order by using named arguments.

Let’s take another look at that approximate_size() function declaration:

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def approximate_size(size, a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes=True):

The second argument, a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes, specifies a default value of True. This means the argument is optional; you can call the function without it, and Python will act as if you had called it with True as a second parameter.

Now look at the bottom of the script:

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if __name__ == '__main__':
    print(approximate_size(1000000000000, False))  # ①
    print(approximate_size(1000000000000))         # ②

① This calls the approximate_size() function with two arguments. Within the approximate_size() function, a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes will be False, since you explicitly passed False as the second argument.

② This calls the approximate_size() function with only one argument. But that’s OK, because the second argument is optional! Since the caller doesn’t specify, the second argument defaults to True, as defined by the function declaration.

You can also pass values into a function by name.

Let's run following 5 programs. Look at their outputs and then we can discuss each one of these.

Program 1

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from humansize import approximate_size
print (approximate_size(4000, a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes=False))       #①
#'4.0 KB'

① This calls the approximate_size() function with 4000 for the first argument (size) and False for the argument named a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes. (That happens to be the second argument, but doesn’t matter, as you’ll see in a minute.)

Program 2

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from humansize import approximate_size
print(approximate_size(size=4000, a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes=False))   #②
#'4.0 KB'

② This calls the approximate_size() function with 4000 for the argument named size and False for the argument named a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes. (These named arguments happen to be in the same order as the arguments are listed in the function declaration, but that doesn’t matter either.)

Program 3

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from humansize import approximate_size
print (approximate_size(a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes=False, size=4000))  #③
#'4.0 KB'

③ This calls the approximate_size() function with False for the argument named a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes and 4000 for the argument named size. (See? I told you the order didn’t matter.)

Program 4

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from humansize import approximate_size
print (approximate_size(a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes=False, 4000))       #④
# File "/usercode/__ed_file.py", line 11
# print (approximate_size(a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes=False, 4000)) #\u2463
# ^
#SyntaxError: non-keyword arg after keyword arg

④ This call fails, because you have a named argument followed by an unnamed (positional) argument, and that never works. Reading the argument list from left to right, once you have a single named argument, the rest of the arguments must also be named.

Program 5

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from humansize import approximate_size
print (approximate_size(size=4000, False) )                          #⑤
# File "/usercode/__ed_file.py", line 3
# print (approximate_size(size=4000, False) ) 
# ^
#SyntaxError: non-keyword arg after keyword arg

⑤ This call fails too, for the same reason as the previous call. Is that surprising? After all, you passed 4000 for the argument named size, then “obviously” that False value was meant for the a_kilobyte_is_1024_bytes argument. But Python doesn’t work that way. As soon as you have a named argument, all arguments to the right of that need to be named arguments, too.