Python – Positional-Only Arguments

Python will define a function, where one or more arguments won’t accept their values with the keywords. The argument is known as the Positional-only argument. Read this article to know more about Python – Positional-Only Arguments.

What are Positional only arguments in Python?

 A positional argument is referred to as an argument that is passed to a function based on its position in the argument list. 

However, Python’s built-in input function will be an example of a Positional argument. The syntax of the input function is given below:

input(prompt = "")

The prompt indicates the explanatory string for the benefit of the user. An example of this is given below:

name = input("enter your name ")

It is not possible to use the prompt keyword inside the parentheses.

   name = input (prompt="Enter your name ")
         ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
TypeError: input() takes no keyword arguments

It is required to use the ”/ ” symbol to make the argument positional only. Thus, every argument before the symbol is considered as position-only.

What is the example of a Positional-only Argument?

def multiply_numbers(x, y, /):
    """
    Function to multiply two numbers using positional-only arguments.

    Parameters:
    - x (int): The first number.
    - y (int): The second number.

    Returns:
    int: The product of x and y.
    """
    return x * y

# Example usage with positional-only arguments
result = multiply_numbers(4, 7)

# Output
print(f"The product is: {result}")

Output

The product is: 28

This example given above states that the ‘multiple_numbers’ has two parameters such as ‘x’ and ‘y’ and is referred to as the positional-only arguments. The forward slash (/)in the function definition will refer to all parameters before they need to be specified positionally.

Hence, during the function call, they will give value for ‘x’ and ‘y’ in the same order and the product will be printed as output.

Conclusion

To conclude, positional-only arguments are like a set of guidelines we follow when calling a function, providing inputs in a specific sequence. This systematic approach maintains clarity and precision in our code, allowing us to communicate effectively with functions by adhering to their expected positional order.

Python – Positional-Only Arguments-FAQs