# Broadcasting a function with some non-broadcasted inputs
**URL:** https://discourse.julialang.org/t/broadcasting-a-function-with-some-non-broadcasted-inputs/18841
**Category:** General Usage
**Created:** [December 19, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/broadcasting-a-function-with-some-non-broadcasted-inputs/18841 "2018-12-19T20:31:42Z")
**Posts on this page:** 5
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@BioTurboNick](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/BioTurboNick)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/broadcasting-a-function-with-some-non-broadcasted-inputs/18841/1 "2018-12-19T20:31:42Z")
I have a function that takes a matrix and two scalars. The matrix input is identical for each call, but the scalars change with each call. I would like to broadcast over vectors supplying those scalars. Is it possible to inform Julia that a particular function argument is not broadcasted?
e.g.
```julia
function foo(values, n, m)
values .+ n .+ m
end
vals = [1 2 3; 4 5 6]
n = [9, 3]
m = [4, 5]
foo.(values, n, m)
```
I can assign a local function:
```julia
bfoo(n, m) = foo(vals, n, m)
bfoo.(n, m)
```
Or use map
```julia
map(i -> foo(vals, n[i], m[i]), 1:length(n))
```
It’d be nice to be able to express this more cleanly.
---
### Author:  [@pdeffebach](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/pdeffebach)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2018, 8:39pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/broadcasting-a-function-with-some-non-broadcasted-inputs/18841/2 "2018-12-19T20:39:31Z")
Does `Ref(vals)` work?
---
### Author:  [@BioTurboNick](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/BioTurboNick)
#### Post date: [December 19, 2018, 8:40pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/broadcasting-a-function-with-some-non-broadcasted-inputs/18841/3 "2018-12-19T20:40:56Z")
Ah, it does, thank you!
---
### Author:  [@xiaodai](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/xiaodai)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2018, 4:49am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/broadcasting-a-function-with-some-non-broadcasted-inputs/18841/4 "2018-12-20T04:49:29Z")
> [@BioTurboNick](#):
>
> foo.(values, n, m)
what about `foo.((values,), n, m)`?
---
### Author:  [@tkf](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/tkf)
#### Post date: [December 20, 2018, 6:15am UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/broadcasting-a-function-with-some-non-broadcasted-inputs/18841/5 "2018-12-20T06:15:40Z")
`Ref` is better, e.g., if you want a number back when `n` and `m` are numbers:
```julia
julia> foo = +
+ (generic function with 160 methods)
julia> foo.(Ref(1), 2, 3)
6
julia> foo.((1,), 2, 3)
(6,)
```