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  3. Python Data Science Toolbox (Part 1)

Exercise

Functions with variable-length keyword arguments (**kwargs)

Let's push further on what you've learned about flexible arguments - you've used *args, you're now going to use **kwargs! What makes **kwargs different is that it allows you to pass a variable number of keyword arguments to functions. Recall from the previous video that, within the function definition, kwargs is a dictionary.

To understand this idea better, you're going to use **kwargs in this exercise to define a function that accepts a variable number of keyword arguments. The function simulates a simple status report system that prints out the status of a character in a movie.

Instructions

100 XP
  • Complete the function header with the function name report_status. It accepts a single flexible argument **kwargs.
  • Iterate over the key-value pairs of kwargs to print out the keys and values, separated by a colon ':'.
  • In the first call to report_status(), pass the following keyword-value pairs: name="luke", affiliation="jedi" and status="missing".
  • In the second call to report_status(), pass the following keyword-value pairs: name="anakin", affiliation="sith lord" and status="deceased".