How to get the returned value of a function, called by exec() in python?

Question

I have a function called 'somefunc' :

def somefunc(): return "ok"

And i wanted to run it with exec() like :

exec("somefunc()")

That works great. But the problem is, i can't get the returned value "ok". I've tried to do this:

a = exec("somefunc()") print (a)

But i've got nothing. how can i get the returned value?

exec("a = somefunc()") stackoverflow.com/questions/23917776/… — slick_reaper
– slick_reaper, Commented Jun 7, 2020 at 10:00
You could create a dictionary of functions keyed by their names if you need to dynamically invoke functions by a string variable. exec solutions are seldom optimal. — John Coleman
– John Coleman, Commented Jun 7, 2020 at 10:11

mchfrnc · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-07 10:09:14Z

If you want to use exactly the exec() function, the answer by @Leo Arad is okay.

But I think you misunderstood exec() and eval() functions. If so, then:

a = exec("somefunc()") print (a)

It'd work when you'd use eval():

a = eval("somefunc()") print(a)

Leo Arad · Accepted Answer · 2020-06-07 10:00:36Z

You need to store the function output straight to a

def somefunc(): return "ok" exec("a = somefunc()") print(a)

Output

ok

exec() is executing the statement that you provide it as text so in this case, the exec will store the return value the a variable.

2 Answers 2