Question

Perhaps beginners like me should not be doing a MIT course, but anyway,

how do you call a function in Python ?

Thanks

Answer 1

By it's name?

Not quite sure I understand the question!

Answer 2

Thanks, I forgot to define it first !

Answer 3

Suppose we have a function like this:

def f():
#code here

To call it, you would do f(). If the function takes arguments like the one below:

def g(x, y, z):
#code here

Then you would do g(5, 3, 5), to correspond to the argument list. Note that if you're calling an instance method like the one defined below:

class Teapot(object):

def make_tea(self, amount):
# code

Make sure you don't pass 2 arguments. The self argument here is automatically provided. Example:

myTP = Teapot()
myTP.make_tea(5) # Notice that we don't pass the self argument in

Should be a good crash course.

Answer 4

So, I put in a separate file and just
f(args)

Answer 5

It's just that I'm trying to get to grips with defining and running a function using my Linux machine (just shell or python shell, no idle)

Answer 6

Because I'm doing L4 problem 1 functions and trying

def a (x):
return x + 1

then calling it with

a(a(a(6)))

Answer 7

And of course that works now because previously I was calling it while still within the function, so got error (python shell)
Thanks all

Answer 8

Additionally though I am not entirely sure what the above call is actually doing, presumably calling the function 'a' 3 times, which (again presumably) , as the function adds 1 to 'x', simply adds 1 to x 3 times with the value of x incrementing each time

Perhaps now though I am sure.

Answer 9

Cracking open the a(a(a(6))), it looks like this:

Call a with the argument (the result of Call a with the argument (the result of Call a with the argument 6)))

Answer 10

So I was wrong, its returns 1, 1+1,2+1 then 3 + 6