[Python-Dev] replacing 'global'

[Skip Montanaro]

    >> * Would you be required to use := at each assignment or just the
    >> first?

    Just> Just the first; "a = 2" still means "a is local to this scope".

That seems like a very subtle error waiting to happen...

    >> All the toy examples we pass around are very simple, but it seems
    >> that the name would get assigned to more than once, so the programmer
    >> might need to remember the same discipline all the time.  It seems
    >> that use of x := 2 and x = 4 should be disallowed in the same
    >> function so that the compiler can flag such mistakes.

    Just> I don't see it as a mistake. := would mean: "bind to whichever
    Just> scope the name is defined in", and that includes the current
    Just> scope. I disagree with Alex when he says := should mean "I'm
    Just> binding this name in NON-local scope".

Yeah, but if you come back to the code in six months and the nested function
is 48 lines long and assigns to x using a variety of ":=" and "="
assignments, it seems to me like it will be hard to tell if there's a
problem.

    >> * This seems like a statement which mixes declaration and execution.

    Just> How is that different from "regular" assignment? It mixes
    Just> declaration and execution in the same way.

Not in the way of saying, "this is global and here's its value".

Skip