Difference between variable = and def variable()

Language Help Python
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1

Hi, I just did a search and I didn’t find anything that’s why I ask. Like the subject says what the difference between putting name = David and def name = David or with any other type like string. What I’m asking is those two are interchangeable and if not what the difference, if so, is there any advantages using one over the other?

2

Is this Python? Assigning to a name is fairly straightforward but your second option doesn’t look like valid python syntax. A function definition is a very specific kind of executable statement that leads to the creation of a function object- documnetation.

Function definitions are written a little more like this-

def this_function(a=None):
    return
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3

Hello, @davidil28, and welcome to the Codecademy Forums!

If you post examples of the code to which you are referring, we can answer your question more effectively. Please format any code that you post. For advice on how to do this, see How to ask good questions (and get good answers).

4

I’m really new here, but for what I understood I can do for example
x = 2 and now x will have the 2 inside so speak, but I also can do def x = 2. So what’s the difference.

5

If this is Python a single statement of def x = 2 would throw an error. That is not how to define a variable. It would be worth studying up on assignment in Python and perhaps functions to see how they’re both written.

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6

Here’s a simple example of Python 3.8 code that defines a function, assigns values to some variables, and calls the function to display results:

# breakfast.py (this is a comment)

# this is a function definition
def breakfast(food_one, food_two):
  return f"Your {food_one} and {food_two} breakfast is ready!"

# assign some string values to variables
item_one = "spam"
item_two = "eggs"

# call the function
print(breakfast(item_one, item_two))

Output:

Your spam and eggs breakfast is ready!

Note the syntax for each of the tasks.

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