Static Variables

[Peter Norvig]

You can also use optional arguments to functions and methods.  These
share with C static variables the property of being assigned once:

def f(x, s=initialization_code()):
    # s behaves like a static variable
    ...

Peter Hansen <peter at engcorp.com> wrote in message news:<3CAA7FD0.56C285E0 at engcorp.com>...
> Jim Jacobs wrote:
> > 
> > Is it possible to simulate "C" style static variables in functions?  In
> > methods?
> 
> Maybe ...  what do you mean by simulate, and what characteristics
> of the C statics would you like to have?
> 
> In C, static inside a function causes the variable to be assigned
> in the heap rather than on the stack (to put it one way) and
> that gives the variable persistence across invocations of
> the function (but scope local to the function).
> 
> In Python, you would use either an instance variable, inside
> a method of an object, or the answer would be "no, but can
> you get by with using 'global'?".
> 
> -Peter