How to pass an array to a function in Python
Last Updated :
26 Feb, 2023
In this article, we will discuss how an array or list can be passed to a function as a parameter in Python.
Pass an array to a function in Python
So for instance, if we have thousands of values stored in an array and we want to perform the manipulation of those values in a specific function, that is when we need to pass an entire array to the specific function.
Syntax: array(data_type, value_list)
Let us understand this with the help of a couple of examples
Example 1:
We need to import an array, and after that, we will create an array with its datatype and elements, and then we will pass it to the function to iterate the elements in a list.
Python3
from array import *
def show(arr):
for i in arr:
print(i, end=', ')
arr = array('i', [16, 27, 77, 71, 70,
75, 48, 19, 110])
show(arr)
Output:
16, 27, 77, 71, 70, 75, 48, 19, 110
Time complexity: O(n), where n is the length of the input array.
Auxiliary space: O(1).
Example 2:
We need to import an array, and after that, we will create an array and pass it to a function to multiply the elements in a list.
Python3
from array import *
def Product(arr):
p = 1
for i in arr:
p *= i
print("Product: ", p)
arr = array('f', [4.1, 5.2, 6.3])
Product(arr)
Output:
Product: 134.31599601554856
Time complexity: O(n), where n is the length of the input array 'arr'.
Auxiliary space: O(1), as only a single variable 'p' is used for computation and it does not depend on the size of the input.
Pass a list to a function in Python
The passing of parameters is not restricted to data types. This implies that variables of various data types can be passed in this procedure. So for instance, if we have thousands of values stored in a list and we want to manipulate those values in a specific function, we need to pass an entire list to the specific function.
Syntax: var_name = [ele1, ele2,..]
A list is created by placing elements inside square brackets [], separated by commas.
Let us understand this with the help of a couple of examples
Example 1:
A list named animals have been created, and the animal list which we created earlier is passed entirely to a user-defined function named print_animals where we will be printing all the elements of the list of animals. A user-defined function named print_animals is created that gets the list of animals as the input. Its simple purpose is to print every element f the animal's list using for a loop.
Python3
def print_animals(animals):
for a in animals:
print(a)
# Created a list of type string
animals = ["Cat", "Dog", "Tiger",
"Giraffe", "Wolf"]
# passing the entire list as a parameter
print(animals)
Output:
['Cat', 'Dog', 'Tiger', 'Giraffe', 'Wolf']
Time complexity: O(n) where n is the length of the animals list
Auxiliary space: O(1) .
In a similar fashion let us perform another program where the list will be of type integers and we will be finding out the product of all the numbers present in the list.
Python3
def Product(nums):
p = 1
for i in nums:
# Multiplication of every element
# of nums with each other
p *= i
print("Product: ", p)
# Created a list of integers
nums = [4, 5, 6]
# Passed the entire list as a parameter
Product(nums)
Output:
Product: 120
Example 3:
Now there might be a case where the elements of the list are not decided already. This means that number of elements and the values are not determined. In this case, we will pass values as parameters which in turn will act as a list i.e. collection of values.
*args: It is used to pass a variable number of arguments to a function. It is used to pass a non-keyworded, variable-length argument list.
Python3
# User defined function taking the
# values as input
def Product(*arguments):
p = 1
for i in arguments:
# Multiplying each and every element
p *= i
# Printing the final answer which
# is their multiplication
print(p)
# Passing values that we want in our list
Product(4, 5, 1, 2)
Output:
40
Similar Reads
Pass a List to a Function in Python In Python, we can pass a list to a function, allowing to access or update the list's items. This makes the function more versatile and allows us to work with the list in many ways.Passing list by Reference When we pass a list to a function by reference, it refers to the original list. If we make any
2 min read
How to call a function in Python Python is an object-oriented language and it uses functions to reduce the repetition of the code. In this article, we will get to know what are parts, How to Create processes, and how to call them.In Python, there is a reserved keyword "def" which we use to define a function in Python, and after "de
5 min read
How to Add Function in Python Dictionary Dictionaries in Python are strong, adaptable data structures that support key-value pair storage. Because of this property, dictionaries are a necessary tool for many kinds of programming jobs. Adding functions as values to dictionaries is an intriguing and sophisticated use case. This article looks
4 min read
How to write an empty function in Python - pass statement During the development of a Python program, we might want to create a function without implementing its behavior. In such cases, we can define the function and use the pass statement inside it to avoid syntax errors. To write empty functions in Python, we use pass statement. pass is a special statem
3 min read
pandas.array() function in Python This method is used to create an array from a sequence in desired data type. Syntax : pandas.array(data: Sequence[object], dtype: Union[str, numpy.dtype, pandas.core.dtypes.base.ExtensionDtype, NoneType] = None, copy: bool = True) Parameters : data : Sequence of objects. The scalars inside `data` sh
2 min read
How to Define and Call a Function in Python In Python, defining and calling functions is simple and may greatly improve the readability and reusability of our code. In this article, we will explore How we can define and call a function.Example:Python# Defining a function def fun(): print("Welcome to GFG") # calling a function fun() Let's unde
3 min read
How to Map a Function Over NumPy Array? Mapping a function over a NumPy array means applying a specific operation to each element individually. This lets you transform all elements of the array efficiently without writing explicit loops. For example, if you want to add 2 to every element in an array [1, 2, 3, 4, 5], the result will be [3,
2 min read
Passing function as an argument in Python In Python, functions are first-class objects meaning they can be assigned to variables, passed as arguments and returned from other functions. This enables higher-order functions, decorators and lambda expressions. By passing a function as an argument, we can modify a function’s behavior dynamically
5 min read
How to Pass Optional Parameters to a Function in Python In Python, functions can have optional parameters by assigning default values to some arguments. This allows users to call the function with or without those parameters, making the function more flexible. When an optional parameter is not provided, Python uses its default value. There are two primar
5 min read
How to Call Multiple Functions in Python In Python, calling multiple functions is a common practice, especially when building modular, organized and maintainable code. In this article, we’ll explore various ways we can call multiple functions in Python.The most straightforward way to call multiple functions is by executing them one after a
3 min read