From my understanding, Python has a separate namespace for functions, so if I want to use a global variable in a function, I should probably use global.
However, I was able to access a global variable even without global:
>>> sub = ['0', '0', '0', '0']
>>> def getJoin():
... return '.'.join(sub)
...
>>> getJoin()
'0.0.0.0'
Why does this work?
See also UnboundLocalError on local variable when reassigned after first use for the error that occurs when attempting to assign to the global variable without global. See Using global variables in a function for the general question of how to use globals.
The keyword global is only useful to change or create global variables in a local context, although creating global variables is seldom considered a good solution.
def bob():
me = "locally defined" # Defined only in local context
print(me)
bob()
print(me) # Asking for a global variable
The above will give you:
locally defined
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "file.py", line 9, in <module>
print(me)
NameError: name 'me' is not defined
While if you use the global statement, the variable will become available "outside" the scope of the function, effectively becoming a global variable.
def bob():
global me
me = "locally defined" # Defined locally but declared as global
print(me)
bob()
print(me) # Asking for a global variable
So the above code will give you:
locally defined
locally defined
In addition, due to the nature of python, you could also use global to declare functions, classes or other objects in a local context. Although I would advise against it since it causes nightmares if something goes wrong or needs debugging.
While you can access global variables without the global keyword, if you want to modify them you have to use the global keyword. For example:
foo = 1
def test():
foo = 2 # new local foo
def blub():
global foo
foo = 3 # changes the value of the global foo
In your case, you're just accessing the list sub.
This is the difference between accessing the name and binding it within a scope.
If you're just looking up a variable to read its value, you've got access to global as well as local scope.
However if you assign to a variable who's name isn't in local scope, you are binding that name into this scope (and if that name also exists as a global, you'll hide that).
If you want to be able to assign to the global name, you need to tell the parser to use the global name rather than bind a new local name - which is what the 'global' keyword does.
Binding anywhere within a block causes the name everywhere in that block to become bound, which can cause some rather odd looking consequences (e.g. UnboundLocalError suddenly appearing in previously working code).
>>> a = 1
>>> def p():
print(a) # accessing global scope, no binding going on
>>> def q():
a = 3 # binding a name in local scope - hiding global
print(a)
>>> def r():
print(a) # fail - a is bound to local scope, but not assigned yet
a = 4
>>> p()
1
>>> q()
3
>>> r()
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<pyshell#35>", line 1, in <module>
r()
File "<pyshell#32>", line 2, in r
print(a) # fail - a is bound to local scope, but not assigned yet
UnboundLocalError: local variable 'a' referenced before assignment
>>>
The other answers answer your question. Another important thing to know about names in Python is that they are either local or global on a per-scope basis.
Consider this, for example:
value = 42
def doit():
print value
value = 0
doit()
print value
You can probably guess that the value = 0 statement will be assigning to a local variable and not affect the value of the same variable declared outside the doit() function. You may be more surprised to discover that the code above won't run. The statement print value inside the function produces an UnboundLocalError.
The reason is that Python has noticed that, elsewhere in the function, you assign the name value, and also value is nowhere declared global. That makes it a local variable. But when you try to print it, the local name hasn't been defined yet. Python in this case does not fall back to looking for the name as a global variable, as some other languages do. Essentially, you cannot access a global variable if you have defined a local variable of the same name anywhere in the function.
Accessing a name and assigning a name are different. In your case, you are just accessing a name.
If you assign to a variable within a function, that variable is assumed to be local unless you declare it global. In the absence of that, it is assumed to be global.
>>> x = 1 # global
>>> def foo():
print x # accessing it, it is global
>>> foo()
1
>>> def foo():
x = 2 # local x
print x
>>> x # global x
1
>>> foo() # prints local x
2
You can access global keywords without keyword global
To be able to modify them you need to explicitly state that the keyword is global. Otherwise, the keyword will be declared in local scope.
Example:
words = [...]
def contains (word):
global words # <- not really needed
return (word in words)
def add (word):
global words # must specify that we're working with a global keyword
if word not in words:
words += [word]
This is explained well in the Python FAQ
What are the rules for local and global variables in Python?
In Python, variables that are only referenced inside a function are implicitly global. If a variable is assigned a value anywhere within the function’s body, it’s assumed to be a local unless explicitly declared as global.
Though a bit surprising at first, a moment’s consideration explains this. On one hand, requiring global for assigned variables provides a bar against unintended side-effects. On the other hand, if global was required for all global references, you’d be using global all the time. You’d have to declare as global every reference to a built-in function or to a component of an imported module. This clutter would defeat the usefulness of the global declaration for identifying side-effects.
https://docs.python.org/3/faq/programming.html#what-are-the-rules-for-local-and-global-variables-in-python
Any variable declared outside of a function is assumed to be global, it's only when declaring them from inside of functions (except constructors) that you must specify that the variable be global.
global makes the variable visible to everything in the module, the modular scope, just as if you had defined it at top-level in the module itself. It's not visible outside the module, and it cannot be imported from the module until after it has been set, so don't bother, that's not what it is for.
When does global solve real problems? (Note: Checked only on Python 3.)
# Attempt #1, will fail
# We cannot import ``catbus`` here
# as that would lead to an import loop somewhere else,
# or importing ``catbus`` is so expensive that you don't want to
# do it automatically when importing this module
top_level_something_or_other = None
def foo1():
import catbus
# Now ``catbus`` is visible for anything else defined inside ``foo()``
# at *compile time*
bar() # But ``bar()`` is a call, not a definition. ``catbus``
# is invisible to it.
def bar():
# `bar()` sees what is defined in the module
# This works:
print(top_level_something_or_other)
# This doesn't work, we get an exception: NameError: name 'catbus' is not defined
catbus.run()
This can be fixed with global:
# Attempt #2, will work
# We still cannot import ``catbus`` here
# as that would lead to an import loop somewhere else,
# or importing ``catbus`` is so expensive that you don't want to
# do it automatically when importing this module
top_level_something_or_other = None
def foo2():
import catbus
global catbus # Now catbus is also visible to anything defined
# in the top-level module *at runtime*
bar()
def bar():
# `bar` sees what is defined in the module and when run what is available at run time
# This still works:
print(top_level_something_or_other)
# This also works now:
catbus.run()
This wouldn't be necessary if bar() was defined inside foo like so:
# Attempt 3, will work
# We cannot import ``catbus`` here
# as that would lead to an import loop somewhere else,
# or importing ``catbus`` is so expensive that you don't want to
# do it automatically when importing this module
top_level_something_or_other = None
def foo3():
def bar():
# ``bar()`` sees what is defined in the module *and* what is defined in ``foo()``
print(top_level_something_or_other)
catbus.run()
import catbus
# Now catbus is visible for anything else defined inside foo() at *compile time*
bar() # Which now includes bar(), so this works
By defining bar() outside of foo(), bar() can be imported into something that can import catbus directly, or mock it, like in a unit test.
global is a code smell, but sometimes what you need is exactly a dirty hack like global. Anyway, "global" is a bad name for it as there is no such thing as global scope in python, it's modules all the way down.
It means that you should not do the following:
x = 1
def myfunc():
global x
# formal parameter
def localfunction(x):
return x+1
# import statement
import os.path as x
# for loop control target
for x in range(10):
print x
# class definition
class x(object):
def __init__(self):
pass
#function definition
def x():
print "I'm bad"
Global makes the variable "Global"
def out():
global x
x = 1
print(x)
return
out()
print (x)
This makes 'x' act like a normal variable outside the function. If you took the global out then it would give an error since it cannot print a variable inside a function.
def out():
# Taking out the global will give you an error since the variable x is no longer 'global' or in other words: accessible for other commands
x = 1
print(x)
return
out()
print (x)
Related
I have a code in which I declare a variable globally. Then inside a function, when I try to use it, it gives an error Unbound variable is not declared
My code:
count_url =1
def foo():
...
ttk.Label(canvas1, text=f'{varSongTitle}...Done! {count_url}/{str(var_len)}').pack(padx=3,pady=3)
root.update()
count_url = count_url + 1
When I read from here that for bypassing this issue: The issue as I guess was that inside function my globally declared variable was becoming local, I guess because after printing it out I was assigning it to count_url =+ That's why I needed to also decalre it globally inside function as below:
count_url =1
def foo():
global count_url
...
ttk.Label(canvas1, text=f'{varSongTitle}...Done! {count_url}/{str(var_len)}').pack(padx=3,pady=3)
root.update()
count_url = count_url + 1
Now code works perfectly! But I have pair of questions How? Why?. Why it does not behave similarly if I assign global in global scope like
global count_url
count_url=1
def foo():
...
And also How can this be possible, that due to assigning inside the function a value to my global variable, why it becomes local?
ANSWER: https://docs.python.org/3/faq/programming.html#why-am-i-getting-an-unboundlocalerror-when-the-variable-has-a-value
This is because when you make an assignment to a variable in a scope, that variable becomes local to that scope and shadows any similarly named variable in the outer scope. Since the last statement in foo assigns a new value to x, the compiler recognizes it as a local variable. Consequently when the earlier print(x) attempts to print the uninitialized local variable and an error results.
The default behavior of Python is to create a new variable in the function scope without checking the global scope for a similarly named variable.
The global declaration inside the function tells Python that you want to use the variable declared in the outer scope instead of creating a new one.
Adding a reference to the official Python documentation, from a comment: https://docs.python.org/3/faq/programming.html#why-am-i-getting-an-unboundlocalerror-when-the-variable-has-a-value
From Python Reference
The global statement has the same scope as a name binding operation in the same block.
If the nearest enclosing scope for a free variable contains a global statement, the free variable is treated as a global.
What do the two sentences mean?
Can you also give examples to explain what they mean?
Thanks.
The global statement has the same scope as a name binding operation in the same block.
This says where the global statement applies.
Basically, under normal conditions, when you do:
foo = 1
inside a function, it makes foo a locally scoped variable for that function; even if the name is only assigned at the end of the function, it's local from the beginning, it doesn't switch from global to local at the point of assignment.
Similarly, if your function includes the line:
global foo
it makes foo global for the whole function, even if global foo is the last line in the function.
The important part is that it doesn't matter where in the function you do it. Just like:
def x():
print(y)
y = 1
raises an UnboundLocalError (because assigning to y makes it local for the whole scope of the function, and you print it before giving it a value), doing:
y = 0
def x():
print(y)
y = 1
global y
will print the global value of y (0 on the first call, 1 on the second) on the first line without error (rather than raising UnboundLocalError or something else) because global statements always apply for the whole function, both before and after where they actually appear, just like local variables are local for the whole scope of the function, even if they're only assigned at the end. Note that modern Python does raise a SyntaxWarning for using a global name before the associated global statement, so it's best to put global statements first for clarity and to avoid warnings.
The part about nested scopes:
If the nearest enclosing scope for a free variable contains a global statement, the free variable is treated as a global.
covers a really unusual corner case with multiply nested scopes where an outer scope assigns to a local variable, a scope inside that one declares the name global, and a scope inside that one uses (but doesn't assign) the name. The short definition is "If you're looking for a variable to read that's not in local scope, as you look through outer scopes for it, if it's a global in one of them, stop checking nested scopes and go straight to global scope". This one is easiest to show by example:
foo = 1
def outermost():
def middle():
global foo # Stops scope checking, skips straight to global
def innermost():
print(foo)
return innermost
foo = 2 # Doesn't change global foo
return middle
With this definition, doing outermost()()() will output 1, because the scope lookup in innermost checks middle, determines foo is global for the middle scope, and skips checking outermost going straight to the global foo.
If instead you had:
foo = 1
def outermost():
def middle():
# No global declaration
def innermost():
print(foo)
return innermost
foo = 2 # Doesn't change global foo
return middle
then the output would be 2; the foo lookup in innermost wouldn't find it locally, or in middle's scope, but it would find it in outermosts scope and pull it from there. It's extremely unlikely you'd see a construction like this, but the language docs must be unambiguous when at all possible.
I am using some variable in multiple functions.
This includes changing the variable values by each of those functions.
I already declared the variable as 'global' in the first function.
Should I declare this variable again and again as global in each function (and this will not overwrite the first global variable I declared in the first function) or I should not declare it again as global in all those functions (but the local variables there still will be seen as global since I already declared this variable so first time)?
You can declare a variable as global in each function definition. Here's an example:
def f():
global x
x = 2
print x
x +=2
# This will assign a new value to the global variable x
def g():
global x
print x
x += 3
# This will assign a new value to the global variable x
f()
# Prints 2
g()
# Prints 4
print x
# Prints 7
The global keyword tells the parser per function that a name shouldn't be treated as a local when assigned to.
Normally any name you bind in a function (assign to, use as a function argument, use in an import statement in the function body, etc.) is seen by the parser as a local.
By using the global keyword, the parser will instead generate bytecode that'll look for a global name instead. If you have multiple functions that assign to the global, you'll need to declare that name global in all those functions. They'll then look up the name in the global namespace instead.
See the global statement documentation:
The global statement is a declaration which holds for the entire current code block. It means that the listed identifiers are to be interpreted as globals.
and the Naming and Binding documentation:
If a name is bound in a block, it is a local variable of that block. If a name is bound at the module level, it is a global variable. (The variables of the module code block are local and global.) If a variable is used in a code block but not defined there, it is a free variable.
Should I declare this variable again and again as global in each function
You should not have any global variables at all, and put these variables and functions into a class.
python can declare global variable in local scope?
It works:
def main():
# do some... for files varible
for file in files:
result = func(file)
print result
I can't understand.
Somebody tell me why result can be seen outside the for loop.
Thanks you.
for statements do not start a new scope. Only modules, class declarations, and function definitions start a new scope.
I don't see a global variable declaration. result is a local variable, as is file. Are you talking about files? That looks like a global variable, but I don't see it declared locally.
Update based on #DSM's helpful comment:
If you are talking about result as being declared locally inside the for-loop, it doesn't work that way in Python, the for-loop doesn't create a local scope.
If you a function uses assignment = or augemnted assignemnt (i.e. +=) then the variable is considered local by default. However, if you want to make the assignments global use the global keyword.
foo = 2
def bar():
foo = 3 # foo is locally defined here
def car():
global foo
foo = 4 # foo is globally reassigned here
bar() # foo is still 2
car() # foo is now 4
I am using a list on which some functions works in my program. This is a shared list actually and all of my functions can edit it. Is it really necessary to define it as "global" in all the functions?
I mean putting the global keyword behind it in each function that uses it, or defining it outside of all the functions is enough without using the global word behind its definition?
When you assign a variable (x = ...), you are creating a variable in the current scope (e.g. local to the current function). If it happens to shadow a variable fron an outer (e.g. global) scope, well too bad - Python doesn't care (and that's a good thing). So you can't do this:
x = 0
def f():
x = 1
f()
print x #=>0
and expect 1. Instead, you need do declare that you intend to use the global x:
x = 0
def f():
global x
x = 1
f()
print x #=>1
But note that assignment of a variable is very different from method calls. You can always call methods on anything in scope - e.g. on variables that come from an outer (e.g. the global) scope because nothing local shadows them.
Also very important: Member assignment (x.name = ...), item assignment (collection[key] = ...), slice assignment (sliceable[start:end] = ...) and propably more are all method calls as well! And therefore you don't need global to change a global's members or call it methods (even when they mutate the object).
Yes, you need to use global foo if you are going to write to it.
foo = []
def bar():
global foo
...
foo = [1]
No, you can specify the list as a keyword argument to your function.
alist = []
def fn(alist=alist):
alist.append(1)
fn()
print alist # [1]
I'd say it's bad practice though. Kind of too hackish. If you really need to use a globally available singleton-like data structure, I'd use the module level variable approach, i.e.
put 'alist' in a module and then in your other modules import that variable:
In file foomodule.py:
alist = []
In file barmodule.py:
import foomodule
def fn():
foomodule.alist.append(1)
print foomodule.alist # [1]