hi,
You will need to specify the application where the inductor is used.
Like the Capacitor the Inductor can have many functions depending upon the application.
The basic 'effect' of an inductor is energy storage and also its effect upon the change of phase of the voltage across the inductor and the current flowing thru it.
Typical inductor applications are for energy storage/filtering in switching regulators, noise/EMI filtering in circuits, and RF frequency circuit bandpass and choke filtering. These applications usually also use capacitors with the inductors to achieve the various filtering functions.