{"id":12854,"date":"2020-12-03T21:55:27","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T05:55:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/?p=12854"},"modified":"2023-12-01T04:05:36","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T12:05:36","slug":"python-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/careerkarma.com\/blog\/python-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Python Return: A Step-By-Step Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Python return statement instructs Python to continue executing a main program. You can use the return statement to send a value back to the main program, such as a string or a list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Functions are blocks of instructions that perform a specific task in programming. Once a function has been declared, it can be reused multiple times. The main benefit of using functions is that it can reduce the number of lines of code you write. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you\u2019re working with functions in Python, you will encounter the return<\/em> statement. This statement stops a function from executing and returns values from a function to the main program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this tutorial, we are going to discuss how the return<\/em> statement works and using return to send values to a main program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Python Function Refresher<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Python includes a number of built-in functions\u2014such as print()<\/em>, str()<\/em>, and len()<\/em>\u2014which perform specific tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can declare your own Python function<\/a> using the def<\/em> keyword. After using the def<\/em> keyword, you should state the name of your function. Then, you should specify by a set of parentheses. The parenthesis can hold any parameters that you want your function to accept.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s the syntax for declaring a function in Python:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

def example_function():\n  yourcodehere<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Python Return<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Python return<\/em> keyword exits a function and instructs Python to continue executing the main program. The return keyword can send a value back to the main program. A value could be a string, a tuple, or any other object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is useful because it allows us to process data within a function. Then, we can return the data to our main program, so we can use it outside our function.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data processed within a function is only accessible within the function. This is only the case unless you use the return<\/em> statement to send the data elsewhere in the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the syntax for the return keyword:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
def example_function():\n\treturn "Example"<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
The return<\/em> keyword can appear anywhere within a function, and when the code executes the return statement, the function will be exited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The return statement returns a value to the rest of the program, but it can also be used alone. If no expression is defined after the return statement, None<\/em> is returned. Here\u2019s an example of this in action:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
def example_function():\n\treturn\n\nexample_function()<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Our code returns: None<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You may decide not to specify a value if you only want a function to stop executing after a particular point. This is a less common use case of the Python return statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Return Python: An Example<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Say that we are operating a restaurant. We want to create a program that returns the cost of the sandwich meals we have on the menu. This task should be contained within a function because we intend to use it more than once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The waitress should enter the name of the sandwich a customer has ordered, and be presented with the price of the sandwich. We could accomplish this task using the following code:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sandwich = "Ham and Cheese"\n\ndef calculate_price(product):\n\tif product == "Ham and Cheese":\n\t\treturn 2.50\n\telif product == "Tuna and Cucumber":\n\t\treturn 2.25\n\telif product == "Egg Mayo":\n\t\treturn 2.25\n\telif product == "Chicken Club":\n\t\treturn 2.75\n\telse:\n\t\treturn 2.50\n\ncalculate_price(sandwich)<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
Let’s run our program and see what happens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2.50<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n
On the first line of code, we declare the name of the sandwich whose price we want to find out. In this case, our sandwich<\/em> Python variable<\/a> stores the value Ham and Cheese<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Next, we declare a function called calculate_price()<\/em> which accepts one parameter: the name of the sandwich the customer would like to purchase. We have used Python if statements<\/a> to check the name of the product against our list of sandwiches. When the product name is found, our program returns the price it has defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are the potential Python floating-point values<\/a> our program can return:<\/p>\n\n\n\n