Data type of Function Argument in Python

Question

I have defined a simple function in Python that takes 'Strings' as an argument and tried to manipulate the code a bit, and saw a difference while calling the function with those two codes.

This is the first code:

def my_name(first_name,last_name):
    first_name = input('enter the first name:')
    last_name = input('enter the last name:')
    print(first_name+' ' + last_name)

my_name('first_name','last_name')

In this program, I need to use quotation marks with the argument and if I don't use them I get an error. Why is this so?

But for the second program, I don't need to use quotation mark if I still use them, I don't get any find of error but for the previous program I have to use quotation otherwise it results in an error.

Please help. Here are snippets of my code: First code: enter image description here

Getting error while running without quotation enter image description here

Second code: enter image description here

Thanks in advance!!

In the first code you are passing 2 strings as a parameter to the my_name function, if you remove the lines that have the input() it will print first_name last_name and when you remove the quotation you are passing as a parameter 2 variables that are not have been initialized and need to receive values (which happens in the second code). — gustavolq
– gustavolq, Commented Jun 23, 2022 at 17:24
But, when we store string in any variable then we don't need to put the quotation mark around the variable name while running the code, python just consider it as a variable so, why this time a variable needs to be enclosed in a quotation mark — Geetu Sethi
– Geetu Sethi, Commented Jun 23, 2022 at 18:22
Do not use images for code or tracebacks or output. Copy and paste the text into the question. Format tracebacks and output (usually) as code. — Terry Jan Reedy
– Terry Jan Reedy, Commented Jun 23, 2022 at 18:29
Ok sure, I didn't know about it actually. Thanks for the feedback. — Geetu Sethi
– Geetu Sethi, Commented Jun 24, 2022 at 15:21

Terry Jan Reedy · Accepted Answer · 2022-06-23 18:34:49Z

1

Given def f(arg): pass, the call f(s) fails with NameError: name 's' is not defined because the name s in the call is not defined. If you add s = 'some string' before the call, then the call works because s is defined. This and related matters is explained in the Python Tutorial

answered Jun 23, 2022 at 18:34

Terry Jan Reedy

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5 Comments

Geetu Sethi Over a year ago

Why is this so, I am asking a user to type his or her name in the first_name and last_name variables so, how come these two variables are not defined?

Geetu Sethi Over a year ago

Is this because as I used this inside the fuction so, its scope becomes limited? Can any please provide the reasoning behind it as why I need to use enclose the variable inside quotation during the fuction call.

Terry Jan Reedy Over a year ago

In any function, the code within the def is not executed until the function is called, and the scope of names bound within a function is normally limited to the function. So first_name is not defined when calling the function.

Terry Jan Reedy Over a year ago

Also note that first_name=input... within the function throws away any value passed as the first_name argument.

Geetu Sethi Over a year ago

Thanks for the explaination, but accept my apologies as I am unable to understand what you are tyring to say so, can you please explain the same to me by providing some kind of example. That would be a great help if you could so.

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