Positional vs Keyword Arguments: When Can You Use Both in Python?

Positional Argument vs Keyword Argument: Clarifying the Confusion

In the programming context, the distinction between positional and keyword arguments often arises when discussing function calls. Positional arguments refer to the values provided in a specific order, while keyword arguments explicitly associate names with values.

Confusion may arise when functions have both positional and keyword arguments. In such cases, it's important to differentiate between these two concepts:

Positional Arguments:

• Positional arguments are specified without the use of an equal sign.
• They rely on the order in which they are provided.
• The function definition must match the order of these arguments.

Keyword Arguments:

• Keyword arguments are identified by their associated names.
• They are preceded by an equal sign.
• The order of these arguments is not essential, as long as the name-value pairs are correct.

To illustrate this distinction, consider the following Python function:

<code class="python">def rectangleArea(width, height):
    return width * height</code>

In the definition, both width and height are positional arguments. However, we can also invoke this function using keyword arguments, as seen below:

<code class="python">rectangleArea(width=1, height=2)</code>

In this case, we explicitly specify the values for width and height, even though the arguments are positional in the definition. The function call still works because the keyword syntax allows us to override the positional order.

Therefore, the assumption that width and height are exclusively positional arguments is incorrect. While they are positional in the function definition, the flexibility of Python allows us to utilize keyword syntax for additional clarity and flexibility in function calls.

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