Question

What does the phrase "calling a module" mean?

Short answer

Answer: "Calling a module" in computer programming refers to the process of using the code from a separate file, such as functions, classes, or variables, by invoking or running its functions or methods in the main program. It is important because it makes the code more organized and reusable, allowing programmers to save time and avoid rewriting similar code.

Step-by-step solution

Defining "Calling a Module"

In computer programming, a module is a separate file containing code, such as functions, classes, or variables, that can be imported and used in another program. "Calling a module" refers to the process of using the code from the module by invoking or running its functions or methods in the main program. The purpose of this is to make the code more organized and reusable, allowing programmers to save time and avoid rewriting similar code.

Illustrative Example

Let's consider a simple example in Python. Suppose there is a module named "math_functions" containing a function called "add_numbers" that adds two numbers. Here's the content of the `math_functions` module: ```python def add_numbers(a, b): return a + b ``` Now, in the main program, we'd like to use the "add_numbers" function from the "math_functions" module. This can be done by "calling a module" as follows: ```python import math_functions result = math_functions.add_numbers(3, 5) print(result) # Output: 8 ``` In this example, we first imported the `math_functions` module using the `import` statement. Then, we called the `add_numbers` function from the module using the syntax `math_functions.add_numbers(3, 5)` and stored the result in the variable `result`. Finally, we printed the result.