Defining function args as list of arguments for Python

Python offers a way to define functions args as a tuple. The syntax is similar to C language, we’ll use *args to refer the tuple of arguments which are used in the function invocation.

def test_args(*args):
    for arg in args:
        print "another arg:", arg  

test_args(1, "two", 3)

Results:

another arg: 1
another arg: two
another arg: 3

Using *args when calling a function

Also, this special syntax can be used, not only in function definitions, but also when calling a function.

def test_args_call(arg1, arg2, arg3):
    print "arg1:", arg1
    print "arg2:", arg2
    print "arg3:", arg3

args = ("two", 3)
test_args_call(1, *args)

Results:

arg1: 1
arg2: two
arg3: 3

More info about:

• http://www.saltycrane.com/blog/2008/01/how-to-use-args-and-kwargs-in-python/
• http://docs.python.org/tutorial/controlflow.html#arbitrary-argument-lists
• http://docs.python.org/tutorial/controlflow.html#unpacking-argument-lists