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Version: Python

User-defined functions

This guide will show you how to write a Python function that can be used in the Deephaven Query Language.

By following each code step, you will add a new column to a table, which is the sum of two other columns.

In this example, a custom, user-defined function is used inside a query string to compute new column values using update.

In Python, you need to import all the tools your query will require. In this example, we are going to make a new table with integer columns by using new_table and int_col.

from deephaven import new_table
from deephaven.column import int_col

numbers = new_table([int_col("X", [2, 4, 6]), int_col("Y", [8, 10, 12])])

In Python, a function is defined using the def keyword. Information can be passed into functions as arguments. Arguments are comma-separated parameters specified after the function name, inside the parentheses. Values returned by the function are specified using the return keyword.

Below we define a function called f, which has two arguments (a and b). When f is called, it returns the value a + b. For example, f(1, 2) returns 3.

def f(a, b):
    return a + b

We now call the function inside the query string and assign the results to a new column, Sum. Here, f is called using values in the X and Y columns.

result_numbers = numbers.update(formulas=["Sum = f(X, Y)"])
note

The function f(a, b) will return an org.jpy.PyObject column unless a typecast or type hint is used. In this case, we want the resultant column to be of type int. For more information, see How to handle PyObjects in tables.

The complete code block is shown below. We define a function f and use it to create a new table. The new table contains the X and Y columns from numbers, plus a new Sum column, which is the summation of columns X and Y.

from deephaven import new_table
from deephaven.column import int_col

numbers = new_table([int_col("X", [2, 4, 6]), int_col("Y", [8, 10, 12])])


def f(a, b):
    return a + b


result_numbers = numbers.update(formulas=["Sum = f(X, Y)"])

Once a Python function is created, it can be reused. For example, f can be used, without redefinition, to add columns from a new words table. Here, we make this table with string columns using new_table and string_col.

from deephaven.column import string_col

words = new_table(
    [
        string_col("Welcome", ["Hello ", "Hola ", "Bonjour "]),
        string_col("Day", ["Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday"]),
    ]
)

result_words = words.view(formulas=["Greeting = f(Welcome, Day)"])

Now you are ready to use your own Python functions in Deephaven!