Book Image

Python Programming with Raspberry Pi

By : Sai Yamanoor, Srihari Yamanoor
Book Image

Python Programming with Raspberry Pi

By: Sai Yamanoor, Srihari Yamanoor

Overview of this book

Raspberry Pi Zero is a super-small and super-affordable product from Raspberry Pi that is packed with a plethora of features and has grabbed the notice of programmers, especially those who use Python. This step-by-step guide will get you developing practical applications in Python using a Raspberry Pi Zero. It will become a valuable resource as you learn the essential details of interfacing sensors and actuators to a Raspberry Pi, as well as acquiring and displaying data. You will get started by writing a Python program that blinks an LED at 1-second intervals. Then you will learn to write simple logic to execute tasks based upon sensor data (for example, to control a motor) and retrieve data from the web (such as to check e-mails to provide a visual alert). Finally, you will learn to build a home automation system with Python where different appliances are controlled using the Raspberry Pi. The examples discussed in each chapter of this book culminate in a project that help improve the quality of people’s lives.
Table of Contents (17 chapters)
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewer
www.PacktPub.com
Customer Feedback
Preface

Functions in Python


We briefly discussed functions in Python. Functions execute a predefined set of task. print is one example of a function in Python. It enables printing something to the screen. Let's discuss writing our own functions in Python.

A function can be declared in Python using the def keyword. A function could be defined as follows:

def my_func(): 
   print("This is a simple function")

In this function my_func, the print statement is written under an indented code block. Any block of code that is indented under the function definition is executed when the function is called during the code execution. The function could be executed as my_func().

Passing arguments to a function:

A function is always defined with parentheses. The parentheses are used to pass any requisite arguments to a function. Arguments are parameters required to execute a function. In the earlier example, there are no arguments passed to the function.

Let's review an example where we pass an argument to a function...