Chapter 6 Flashcards
Boolean function
A function that returns a Boolean value. The only possible values of the bool type are False and True.
chatterbox function
A function which interacts with the user (using input or print) when it should not. Silent functions that just convert their input arguments into their output results are usually the most useful ones.
composition (of functions)
Calling one function from within the body of another, or using the return value of one function as an argument to the call of another.
dead code
Part of a program that can never be executed, often because it appears after a return statement.
fruitful function
A function that yields a return value instead of None.
incremental development
A program development plan intended to simplify debugging by adding and testing only a small amount of code at a time.
None
A special Python value. One use in Python is that it is returned by functions that do not execute a return statement with a return argument.
return value
The value provided as the result of a function call.
scaffolding
Code that is used during program development to assist with development and debugging. The unit test code that we added in this chapter are examples of scaffolding.
temporary variable
A variable used to store an intermediate value in a complex calculation.
test suite
A collection of tests for some code you have written.
unit testing
An automatic procedure used to validate that individual units of code are working properly. Having a test suite is extremely useful when somebody modifies or extends the code: it provides a safety net against going backwards by putting new bugs into previously working code. The term regression testing is often used to capture this idea that we don’t want to go backwards!
