>>>>> Fredrik Lundh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> (FL) wrote: >FL> Piet van Oostrum wrote: >>> The official Python documentation (language reference manual) talks a lot >>> about variables. So it seems silly to say that Python doesn't have >>> variables.
>FL> the language reference mostly uses the term "variables" when discussing >FL> local variables and instance variables, and is (usually) careful to talk >FL> about "names" when talking about binding behaviour. Mostly yes, but not exclusively. E.g. 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. There are also other uses of variable for things at the module level. And the word `variable(s)' occurs 80 times in the language reference manual. >FL> for example, the description of the assignment statement: >FL> http://www.python.org/doc/2.4.3/ref/assignment.html >FL> only uses "variable" twice, in a note that discussing a given code >FL> example. the more formal parts of that page consistently use the term >FL> "name". >FL> it's often a good idea to be a bit careful when discussing detailed >FL> behaviour, especially in contexts where the audience may associate >FL> variables with "small areas of memory". It is interesting that the word 'variable' is nowhere defined in the manual. What one imagines with the word `variable' depends on one's programming background, I guess, and that could certainly give a wrong impression. -- Piet van Oostrum <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> URL: http://www.cs.uu.nl/~piet [PGP 8DAE142BE17999C4] Private email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/python-list