Python: What is a keyword argument?

Say we have a Python function which enables a user to introduce themself, with parameters for first, middle, and last names:

def my_name_is(first, middle, last):
   print(f"Hello, my name is {first} {middle} {last}.")

Calling the function with appropriate positional arguments yields the expected introduction:

>>> my_name_is("Margaret", "Heafield", "Hamilton")
Hello, my name is Margaret Heafield Hamilton.

Since we're passing positional arguments to our function, the position of the arguments matters:

>>> my_name_is("Heafield", "Hamilton", "Margaret")
Hello, my name is Heafield Hamilton Margaret.

We could, instead, pass keyword arguments to the same function:

>>> my_name_is(first="Margaret", middle="Heafield", last="Hamilton"):
Hello, my name is Margaret Heafield Hamilton.

Since we are now passing keyword arguments to our function, the position of the arguments does not matter:

>>> my_name_is(middle="Heafield", last="Hamilton", first="Margaret")
Hello, my name is Margaret Heafield Hamilton.

More detailed information on keyword arguments can be found in the Python documentation.

Learn more about Margaret Hamliton.

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Comments

[Corey McCarty]

Keywords are cooler when you realize that you can pass a dictionary as kwags** and it will pull them out.

[Adam Lombard]

Thank you for the note! :)

I wrote another article about the use of *args and *kwargs:

Python: What are *args and **kwargs?

Adam Lombard (he/him) ・ Jan 12 '20 ・ 2 min read

#python #beginners #learning