python – pass **kwargs argument to another function with **kwargs

python – pass kwargs argument to another function with kwargs

In the second example you provide 3 arguments: filename, mode and a dictionary (kwargs). But Python expects: 2 formal arguments plus keyword arguments.

By prefixing the dictionary by ** you unpack the dictionary kwargs to keywords arguments.

A dictionary (type dict) is a single variable containing key-value pairs.

Keyword arguments are key-value method-parameters.

Any dictionary can by unpacked to keyword arguments by prefixing it with ** during function call.

Expanding on @gecco s answer, the following is an example thatll show you the difference:

def foo(**kwargs):
    for entry in kwargs.items():
        print(Key: {}, value: {}.format(entry[0], entry[1]))

# call using normal keys:
foo(a=1, b=2, c=3)
# call using an unpacked dictionary:
foo(**{a: 1, b:2, c:3})

# call using a dictionary fails because the function will think you are
# giving it a positional argument
foo({a: 1, b: 2, c: 3})
# this yields the same error as any other positional argument
foo(3)
foo(string)

Here you can see how unpacking a dictionary works, and why sending an actual dictionary fails

python – pass kwargs argument to another function with kwargs

The ** syntax tells Python to collect keyword arguments into a dictionary. The save2 is passing it down as a non-keyword argument (a dictionary object). The openX is not seeing any keyword arguments so the **args doesnt get used. Its instead getting a third non-keyword argument (the dictionary). To fix that change the definition of the openX function.

def openX(filename, mode, kwargs):
    pass