Generator functions

Regular Python Function:

A normal Python function passes back the computed value to the main flow of the program, through a return statement. Once the return statement is executed the values of the local variables of the function are lost and their associated resources are eventually garbage collected.

Generator function in Python:

  • In Python, a function with a yield statement is known as a generator function.
  • The generator function is a form of coroutine.
  • In contrast to the execution of a regular Python function with a return statement - a generator function with a yield statement returns a generator object, which supports the iterator protocol.
  • The iterator protocol is that when the __next__() function is called on the object, it returns a value from a sequence of values.
  • The function with a yield statement after returning a generator object does not loose its local variables and resources. The variables are preserved. The execution of the generator function resumes upon a call to the __next__() method and returns the next value in the sequence.
  • The above process continues till the function generates the last value of the sequence by marking it through an exception StopIteration along with the last value of the sequence. At this point, the generator function is exhaust.

 

How a generator function works in Python:

Generator functions in Python

Example 1:

# A generator function

def SimpleSequence():

    for i in range(0, 5):

            yield i;

 

# Get the generator object

generatorObject = SimpleSequence();

try:

    print(generatorObject);

 

    # Print the first value in the sequence

    print(generatorObject.__next__());

 

    # Print the next values in the sequence

    print(generatorObject.__next__());

    print(generatorObject.__next__());

    print(generatorObject.__next__());

    print(generatorObject.__next__());

    print(generatorObject.__next__());   

except StopIteration:

    print("End of Sequence");

 

# Same generator function executed using for loop   

print("Printing through for loop:")

for i in SimpleSequence():

    print("i%d:%d"%(i,i))

   

# Python is powerful - another way of executing a generator function

print("Another way of executing a generator function:")

a,b,c,d,e = SimpleSequence();

print("a:%d b:%d c:%d d:%d d:%d"%(a,b,c,d,e));

 

Output:

<generator object SimpleSequence at 0x108e3b9a8>

0

1

2

3

4

End of Sequence

Printing through for loop:

i0:0

i1:1

i2:2

i3:3

i4:4

Another way of executing a generator function:

a:0 b:1 c:2 d:3 d:4


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