11.8. Functions Calling Other Functions

Once we define a function, we can call it on its own (line 5), as part of a conditional (line 7), or from inside of a loop (line 10).

Example

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def double_number(num):
   return num*2

integer = 8
double_number(integer)

if integer > 5:
   double_number(integer)

for number in range(10):
   double_number(number)

Even better, we can call one function from INSIDE another function.

11.8.1. Functions Should Do Exactly One Thing

When writing a function, we should pay attention to its size. Functions work best when they are small and do only one thing.

Consider the make_sandwich function from an earlier section. What if we wanted to expand our program to not only make a sandwich, but also to pour a drink. It would be a bad idea to write one function to do both (make_sandwich_and_pour_drink). What if a customer wants only one thing—a sandwich or a drink?

A much better solution would look like this:

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def make_sandwich( parameters ):
   # make the sandwich

def pour_drink( parameters ):
   # pour the drink

def make_lunch( parameters ):
   make_sandwich( sand_arguments )
   pour_drink( drink_arguments )

Why is this better? First, smaller functions are easier to debug. Also, by assigning single jobs to separate functions, we make our code easier to read and more reusable.

Looking at the make_lunch function, it is very clear what is going on. It makes a sandwich first, and then it pours a drink.

If the make_lunch function held all of the code needed to do both tasks, there would be no clear separation between one job and the other.