In Python, comments are used to explain code to readers or to add notes to yourself. These comments are ignored by the interpreter and do not affect the program’s functionality. Python supports two types of comments:
Comments are a crucial part of programming, as they help other developers understand the code you have written. It is best practice to add comments to your code regularly to ensure that the code remains clear and easy to read. Additionally, comments can be used to document functions and classes, as well as provide instructions on how to use them.
# single line comment
# multi
# line
# comment
"""
multi
line
comment
"""
# comment including description and parameters
def add(a, b):
"""
Addition of two numbers
:a: first number
:b: second number
:return: result
:Example:
>>> add(12, 8)
20
"""
result = a + b
return result
def add(x, y):
"""
Addition of two numbers
:a: first number
:b: second number
:return: result
:Example:
>>> add(12, 8)
20
"""
return x + y
# Variable declaration and initialization
x, y = 2, 4
print(add(x, y)) # Output
6
This code is a Python script that defines a function add
, which takes two arguments, x
and y
, and returns their sum. The function also includes a docstring, which provides information about the function’s purpose, arguments, return value, and an example of usage.
Here’s a step-by-step explanation of what the code does:
def
keyword is used to define a new function called add
.x
and y
, which are the two numbers that the function will add together.return x + y
, which calculates the sum of x
and y
and returns the result.x
and y
are declared and initialized to the values 2
and 4
, respectively.print
function is called with the result of add(x, y)
as its argument. This will print the result of adding x
and y
to the console.