Welcome to the Treehouse Community
Want to collaborate on code errors? Have bugs you need feedback on? Looking for an extra set of eyes on your latest project? Get support with fellow developers, designers, and programmers of all backgrounds and skill levels here with the Treehouse Community! While you're at it, check out some resources Treehouse students have shared here.
Looking to learn something new?
Treehouse offers a seven day free trial for new students. Get access to thousands of hours of content and join thousands of Treehouse students and alumni in the community today.
Start your free trial![](https://ecs-static.teamtreehouse.com/assets/views/marketing/shared/community-banner-white-47072046c51352fe6a69f5e691ff5700b28bb11d45197d7bdf066d9ea3f72d0c.webp)
![Nathaniel Camorlinga](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/046c10444135e50474f4a2ddaf13fbe5?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fecs-static.teamtreehouse.com%2Fassets%2Fcontent%2Fdefault_avatar-445fbbabfc8dc9188fb5967fe43322ee0c3e0dd1e10f378bf8343784af5a13eb.webp&r=pg)
Nathaniel Camorlinga
798 PointsHow is check_please.py being run successfully if the function is never called in the python file check_please.py? Also,
Also, why does this function have two parameters if we don't use the parameters? That is, I can call the function with the two variables I want, however the input function asks me again for the variables I already specified.
2 Answers
![Chris Freeman](https://uploads.teamtreehouse.com/production/profile-photos/1153532/micro_image.jpg)
Chris Freeman
Treehouse Moderator 68,425 PointsHey Nathaniel Camorlinga, good question!
When python check_please.py
is run from the command line, the function is compiled then later execute when the variable amount_due
is assigned. That assignment calls the function with the two parameters defined by the variables total_due
and number_of_people
.
It’s possible to see the function run independently. If you were to start a REPL, you could try:
>>> from check_please import split_check
#... interactive stuff like in the video
>>> split_check(35, 5)
7
The “interactive stuff” is due to the module level code being exposed when importing the module. You’ll learn how to hide this code from imports using a special if statement in a later video. Not important for this question.
(It’s the if __name__ == ‘__main__:’
idiom you might have seen elsewhere.
Post back if you need more help. Good luck!!!
![Nathaniel Camorlinga](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/046c10444135e50474f4a2ddaf13fbe5?s=96&d=https%3A%2F%2Fecs-static.teamtreehouse.com%2Fassets%2Fcontent%2Fdefault_avatar-445fbbabfc8dc9188fb5967fe43322ee0c3e0dd1e10f378bf8343784af5a13eb.webp&r=pg)
Nathaniel Camorlinga
798 PointsChris thanks for responding. I still think it does not make any sense how this function is running. This will not work in a local python environment, just in your REPL.
![Chris Freeman](https://uploads.teamtreehouse.com/production/profile-photos/1153532/micro_image.jpg)
Chris Freeman
Treehouse Moderator 68,425 PointsI am happy to explain in more detail. Can you be more specific on part you believe will not work?
When executing the assignment to amount_due
, the function split_check
is called with the values from the input
statements.
It may be worth copying the code to a local file and running it in your environment.
Check out this other explanation where I walk though how the code flows line by line.