What are some examples of default arguments in Python?

What are some examples of default arguments in Python?

Default arguments in Python allow you to define a function with default values for parameters. For example:

def greet(name, greeting='Hello'):
    return f'{greeting}, {name}!'

In this case, if you call greet('Alice'), it will return 'Hello, Alice!'. If you call greet('Alice', 'Hi'), it will return 'Hi, Alice!'.

Can you show me another example?

Sure! Here's another example:

def add(a, b=5):
    return a + b

If you call add(3), it will return 8, but if you call add(3, 2), it will return 5.

What happens if I don't provide a value for a default argument?

If you don't provide a value for a default argument, the function will use the default value specified in the function definition. For instance, in the greet function, if you call greet('Bob'), it will use 'Hello' as the default greeting.

Are there any limitations to using default arguments?

Yes, one limitation is that default arguments are evaluated only once when the function is defined, not each time the function is called. This can lead to unexpected behavior if the default value is a mutable object, like a list.