confused with local variables being retained

[Fredrik Lundh]

Dan Brown wrote:
> I'm being confused (I guess) by namespace or scoping rules in Python; I
> don't quite know why this piece of code is having the effect that it is:
>
> class simple:
>     def __init__ (self, label = 'spam'):
>         self.label = label;
>
>     def display (self, stufflist = []):
>         stufflist.append (self.label)
>         print stufflist

    http://www.python.org/doc/FAQ.html#6.25
    6.25. Why are default values sometimes shared between objects?

    "Default values are created when the function is DEFINED,
    that is, there is only one such object that all functions refer
    to. If that object is changed, subsequent calls to the function
    will refer to this changed object"

</F>