{"id":77956,"date":"2020-04-03T18:07:59","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T12:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/techvidvan.com\/tutorials\/?p=77956"},"modified":"2024-08-22T18:09:24","modified_gmt":"2024-08-22T12:39:24","slug":"python-methods-vs-functions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/techvidvan.com\/tutorials\/python-methods-vs-functions\/","title":{"rendered":"Python Methods vs Functions – What really differentiates them?"},"content":{"rendered":"

In this article, we will learn about Python Methods<\/strong> vs Functions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Every beginner tends to get a little confused over how a function<\/strong> is different<\/strong> from a method<\/strong>. Well, both of them have one sole purpose<\/strong> in life, to perform<\/strong> some operation<\/strong>. And both of them can return<\/strong> some value<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But before we do, we quickly need to recall the two of them that is, Python Functions<\/strong> and Python Methods<\/strong> separately<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Python Functions<\/h3>\n

Simply put, a function is a series <\/strong>of steps<\/strong> executed<\/strong> as a single unit<\/strong> and \u201cencapsulated<\/strong>\u201d under a single name<\/strong>. It is a group<\/strong> of statements<\/strong> capable<\/strong> of performing<\/strong> some tasks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A function in a program can take arguments<\/strong> (that is, the data to operate on<\/strong>) and can optionally return<\/strong> some data<\/strong> after performing<\/strong> the intended task<\/strong>. Creating<\/strong> a function<\/strong> is basically giving your computer well-defined instructions<\/strong> to perform a task<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So we can create a simple function in 3<\/strong> simple steps<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

1. def add()<\/h4>\n

says, hey computer, give me a function called add<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2. def add(a, b)<\/h4>\n

is saying, hey computer, the add function<\/strong> should take two arguments<\/strong>. This is where the concept of code-reusability<\/strong> comes in.<\/p>\n

By giving the arguments <\/strong>generalized names a<\/strong> and b<\/strong>, we\u2019re saying that in some instances a<\/strong> can be 2<\/strong> and b<\/strong> can be 3<\/strong>, while in some other instance a<\/strong> can be 10<\/strong> and b<\/strong> can be 30<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

3. def add(a, b)<\/h4>\n

return a+b<\/strong><\/p>\n

This says, hey computer, let my function return some stuff, let it return<\/strong> the sum of a and b<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Finally, you call the function as:<\/p>\n

>> add(10,30)<\/strong><\/p>\n

This returns<\/strong> the sum of 10<\/strong> and 30<\/strong>, that is, 40<\/strong> to us.<\/p>\n

Types of Python Functions<\/h3>\n

Functions in Python<\/strong>, like many other programming languages, are of two types:<\/p>\n

1. Built-in functions<\/h4>\n

Built-in functions<\/strong> come included with the rich standard library<\/strong> of Python<\/strong>. These are the functions that some programmers somewhere in the world defined<\/strong> a long time ago and now you can use these functions in your program<\/strong> without<\/strong> having<\/strong> to write<\/strong> them all over<\/strong> again<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

They provide essential functionality, from basic operations like print() and len() to more complex ones like map() and filter(). Using these built-in functions can save time and effort, allowing you to focus on writing the unique parts of your code. Moreover, since these functions are part of Python’s standard library, they are well-tested and optimized for performance.<\/p>\n

Like the print() function<\/strong> which prints<\/strong> some output<\/strong> on the screen.<\/p>\n

>>> print (\"Techvidvan\")<\/pre>\n
Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n
Techvidvan
\n>>><\/div>\n
2. User-defined functions<\/h4>\n
Python lets us define<\/strong> and use our own functions<\/strong> which we can use anywhere<\/strong> in our program<\/strong>. One such example is the add() function<\/strong> we created above. These functions allow us to encapsulate code into reusable blocks, making our programs more modular and easier to maintain. You can define a function using the def keyword, followed by the function name and parentheses containing any parameters. Once defined, you can call your function wherever needed, passing the appropriate arguments to perform specific tasks or calculations.<\/p>\n
>>> def add(a, b):\r\n        Return a + b\r\n\r\n>>> print(add(10, 30))\r\n<\/pre>\n
Output:<\/strong><\/p>\n
40
\n>>><\/div>\n
Python Methods<\/h3>\n
Objects<\/strong> in object-oriented programming<\/strong> have attributes, i.e. data values<\/strong> within them. But how do we access these attribute values? We access<\/strong> them through methods<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Methods<\/strong> represent the behavior of an Object<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
A method is a piece of code<\/strong> that is associated<\/strong> with an object<\/strong> and operates<\/strong> upon the data of that object<\/strong>. In most respects, a method is identical<\/strong> to a function<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
Except for two major differences:<\/p>\n
    \n
  • It is associated with an object and we call it \u2018on\u2019<\/strong> that object.<\/li>\n
  • It operates on the data which is contained within<\/strong> the class<\/strong>.
    \n(Recall that class is a template and object is an instance of a class)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    Since a method is associated with an object<\/strong>, defining<\/strong> and creating<\/strong> a method<\/strong> is little different<\/strong> from defining functions<\/strong>:<\/p>\n
      \n
    • We always define a method inside a class<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    • A method definition always includes \u2018self\u2019<\/strong> as its first parameter<\/strong>.<\/li>\n
    • And lastly, we call a method on an object using the dot operator<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
      Let\u2019s look at an example to gain a better understanding of methods.<\/strong><\/p>\n
      class Car:\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 def sound(self):\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0print \"Vroooom!\"\r\n\r\nferrari = Car()\r\nferrari.sound() #calling method sound on object ferrari<\/pre>\n
      In this example, we define a method<\/strong> sound inside a class Car<\/strong>. We have then created<\/strong> an object ferrari<\/strong> of the class Car. And we finally call<\/strong> the method sound()<\/strong> on the object ferrari<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
      Let\u2019s now highlight the differences we have learned.<\/p>\n
      Difference between Python Methods vs Functions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
      METHODS<\/b><\/td>\nFUNCTIONS<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Methods definitions are always present inside a class.<\/td>\nWe don\u2019t need a class to define a function.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Methods are associated with the objects of the class they belong to.<\/td>\nFunctions are not associated with any object.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      A method is called \u2018on\u2019 an object. We cannot invoke it just by its name<\/td>\nWe can invoke a function just by its name.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Methods can operate on the data of the object they associate with<\/td>\nFunctions operate on the data you pass to them as arguments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      Methods are dependent on the class they belong to.<\/td>\nFunctions are independent entities in a program.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
      A method requires to have \u2018self\u2019 as its first argument.<\/td>\nFunctions do not require any \u2018self\u2019 argument. They can have zero or more arguments.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
      Summary<\/h3>\n
      We can conclude that Methods<\/strong> and Functions<\/strong> are like those two very similar options that appear in your Multiple Choice Questions. They both<\/strong> appear to be similar<\/strong> when you see them but have key differences<\/strong> in what they actually are.<\/p>\n
      In a nutshell, both methods and functions perform tasks<\/strong> and may return some value<\/strong>. But the difference lies in the fact that methods<\/strong> are \u2018associated\u2019<\/strong> with objects<\/strong>, while functions<\/strong> are not<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
      That was all about Python Methods vs Functions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
      In this article, we will learn about Python Methods vs Functions. Every beginner tends to get a little confused over how a function is different from a method. Well, both of them have one...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":77962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1053],"tags":[2280,2281,1233,1235,2282],"class_list":["post-77956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-python","tag-comparision-of-python-methods-vs-functions","tag-difference-between-python-function-vs-methods","tag-python-functions","tag-python-methods","tag-python-methods-vs-functions"],"yoast_head":"\nPython Methods vs Functions - What really differentiates them? - TechVidvan<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With this article explore the difference between Python Methods vs Functions in detail and get to know more about both the concepts in depth.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/techvidvan.com\/tutorials\/python-methods-vs-functions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Python Methods vs Functions - What really differentiates them? 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