The Python return Statement: Usage and Best Practices

Using the Python return Statement Effectively

Howard Francis
Howard Francis 21 Lessons 1h 26m basics best-practices python
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The Python return statement is a key component of functions and methods. You can use the return statement to make your functions send Python objects back to the caller code. These objects are known as the function’s return value. You can use them to perform further computation in your programs.

Using the return statement effectively is a core skill if you want to code custom functions that are Pythonic and robust.

In this course, you’ll learn:

  • How to use the Python return statement in your functions
  • How to return single or multiple values from your functions
  • What best practices to observe when using return statements
  • How to structure more advanced return statements

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Syntax for Writing return Statements in Python

6 Lessons 22m

1. Using the Python return Statement Effectively (Overview) 01:17

2. Reviewing Python Functions 02:46

3. Using Implicit Returns in Functions 03:15

4. Using Explicit Returns in Functions 06:18

5. Returning vs Printing 05:40

6. Returning Multiple Values 03:25

Best Practices for Using return in Python

9 Lessons 39m

1. Returning None Explicitly 02:53

2. Remembering to Return and Keeping It Readable 04:11

3. Returning Values vs Modifying Global Variables 05:08

4. Using return Statements With Conditionals 05:49

5. Returning Boolean Values 04:48

6. Returning Expressions With Boolean Operators 05:28

7. Using return to Short-Circuit Your Loops 04:13

8. Recognizing and Avoiding Dead Code 01:56

9. Returning Multiple Values With namedtuple 04:34

Advanced Uses of return in Python

6 Lessons 25m

1. Using Functions as Return Values: Closures 05:13

2. Taking and Returning Functions With Decorators 06:43

3. Returning User-Defined Objects With Factory Patterns 04:51

4. Using return With try and finally Blocks 03:53

5. Using return vs yield in Generator Functions 03:46

6. Using the Python return Statement Effectively (Summary) 00:52

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About Howard Francis

Howard Francis Howard Francis

Howard is an avid Pythonista and records video courses for Real Python. He has been teaching beginning programming at the college level for over 20 years in C++, Java, C#, and most recently Python.

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Each tutorial at Real Python is created by a team of developers so that it meets our high quality standards. The team members who worked on this tutorial are:

Christopher Bailey

Christopher
Sadie Parker

Sadie
Tappan Moore

Tappan
Leodanis Pozo Ramos

Leodanis
Geir Arne Hjelle

Geir Arne
Joanna Jablonski

Joanna
Aldren Santos

Aldren
Bryan Weber

Bryan
Jacob Schmitt

Jacob

Participant Comments

alnah on Sept. 24, 2023

This course was outstanding! It was well-structured, clear, and practical. I especially appreciated the sections on closures, decorators/wrappers, and factories. It provides a good introduction to understanding generators as well. The best practices part was very great! Please do that for functions in Python as well!

Shubha on Oct. 13, 2021

Great Course! Learnt a lot. Thank you.

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