Python Forum

I'm new to python and programming in general. I want to know how to use a tuple as the argument of a function

I've been using

def function(a, b ,c):
    tup = (a, b, c)

but this limits the tuple elements the amount of arguments I put in the function definition.

I'd like to do something like def function(t), where t is a tuple and I can call function(1,2,3) for example. Is this possible?

This is not using tuple as argument, but pass arbitrary number of arguments. If you pass tuple as argument it will be considered one argument, not multiple (unless you unpack it).

def spam(*args):
    print(type(args), args)

spam(1, 2, 3)
spam('a', 'b')

Output:
<class 'tuple'> (1, 2, 3)
<class 'tuple'> ('a', 'b')

You can also have keyword arguments, so, you can do

def spam(*args, **kwargs):
    print(type(args), args)
    print(type(kwargs), kwargs)


spam(1, 2, 3, foo='eggs', bar='spam')
spam('a', 'b')

Output:
<class 'tuple'> (1, 2, 3)
<class 'dict'> {'foo': 'eggs', 'bar': 'spam'}
<class 'tuple'> ('a', 'b')
<class 'dict'> {}

Note that args and kwargs are names by convention used in such case. I would advise to stick to these.

Here is example to show the difference when you pass a tuple and when you unpack tuple into multiple arguments

def spam(*args, **kwargs):
    print(type(args), args)
    print(f'Number of positional arguments: {len(args)}')
    print(type(kwargs), kwargs)

some_tuple = (1, 2, 3)
spam(some_tuple, foo='eggs', bar='spam')
spam(*some_tuple, foo='eggs', bar='spam')

Output:
<class 'tuple'> ((1, 2, 3),)
Number of positional arguments: 1
<class 'dict'> {'foo': 'eggs', 'bar': 'spam'}
<class 'tuple'> (1, 2, 3)
Number of positional arguments: 3
<class 'dict'> {'foo': 'eggs', 'bar': 'spam'}

That's exactly what I was looking for! Yea I wanted to pass only one argument which was the tuple . Thank you so much!!

(Nov-14-2020, 04:42 PM)zarox Wrote: [ -> ]Yea I wanted to pass only one argument which was the tuple

Just to make sure we are on the same page
if you just want to pass one tuple as argument you don't need this. Just do:

def spam(foo):
    print(type(foo), foo)


eggs = (1, 2, 3)
spam(eggs)

(Nov-14-2020, 04:46 PM)buran Wrote: [ -> ]

(Nov-14-2020, 04:42 PM)zarox Wrote: [ -> ]Yea I wanted to pass only one argument which was the tuple

Just to make sure we are on the same page
if you just want to pass one tuple as argument you don't need this. Just do:

def spam(foo):
    print(type(foo), foo)


eggs = (1, 2, 3)
spam(eggs)

Is this method as "correct" as *args and *kwargs?

(Nov-14-2020, 07:46 PM)zarox Wrote: [ -> ]Is this method as "correct" as *args and *kwargs?

It depend what you want to achieve. This is the correct method if you want to pass one argument (it may be tuple). It will take one and only one argument (it may or may not be the type you expect).

In your initial post you were asking something different, or at least I understood that you ask about arbitrary number of positional arguments - i.e. when you don't know in advance how many arguments you will get or want to allow arbitrary number. In your post:

(Nov-14-2020, 04:21 PM)zarox Wrote: [ -> ]I can call function(1,2,3)

Here you don't pass one tuple, but 3 positional arguments.

def spam(foo):
    print(foo)

foo = (1, 2, 3)
spam(foo)
spam(1, 2, 3)

Output:
(1, 2, 3)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "***", line 6, in <module>
    spam(1, 2, 3)
TypeError: spam() takes 1 positional argument but 3 were given

*args, **kwargs is often used in more complex cases, e.g. OOP with class inheritance