Not using named tuples when returning more than one value from a function¶
Named tuples can be used anywhere where normal tuples are acceptable, but their values can be accessed through their names in addition to their indexes. This makes the code more verbose and readable.
Anti-pattern¶
The code below returns a first name, middle name, and last name using a normal, unnamed tuple. After calling the tuple, each value can only be returned via an index. This code is difficult to use: the caller of the function has to know that the first element is the first name, the second is the middle name, and the third is the last name.
def get_name():
return "Richard", "Xavier", "Jones"
name = get_name()
# no idea what these indexes map to!
print(name[0], name[1], name[2])
Best practice¶
Use named tuples to return multiple values¶
The modified code below uses named tuples to return multiple values. This code is easier to use and easier to read, as now the caller can access each piece of data via a straightforward name (like name.first).
from collections import namedtuple
def get_name():
name = namedtuple("name", ["first", "middle", "last"])
return name("Richard", "Xavier", "Jones")
name = get_name()
# much easier to read
print(name.first, name.middle, name.last)