Scope Example

Let’s look at a larger example that demonstrates scope ideas. Suppose we wrote the following code in a module file:

# Global scope
X = 99                # X and func assigned in module: global

def func(Y):          # Y and Z assigned in function: locals
    # Local scope
    Z = X + Y         # X is a global
    return Z

func(1)               # func in module: result=100

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This module and the function it contains use a number of names to do their business. Using Python’s scope rules, we can classify the names as follows:

Global names: X, func

X is global because it’s assigned at the top level of the module file; it can be referenced inside the function without being declared global. func is global for the same reason; the def statement assigns a function object to the name func at the top level of the module.

Local names: Y, Z

Y and Z are local to the function (and exist only while the function runs) because they are both assigned values in the function definition: Z by virtue of the = statement, and Y because arguments are always passed by assignment.

The whole point behind this name-segregation scheme is that local variables serve as temporary names that you need only while a function is running. For instance, in the preceding example, the argument Y and the addition result Z exist only inside the function; these names don’t interfere with the enclosing module’s namespace (or any other function, for that matter).

The local/global distinction also makes functions easier to understand, as most of the names a function uses appear in the function itself, not at some arbitrary place in a module. Also, because you can be sure that local names will not be changed by some remote function in your program, they tend to make programs easier to debug and modify.