updating a variable / scope problem

[Duncan Booth]

"Robert Brewer" <fumanchu at amor.org> wrote in 
news:mailman.142.1089323574.5135.python-list at python.org:

> Rajarshi Guha wrote:
>> I'm basically converting Bron and Kerbosch's 
>> clique detection algorithm to  python. The described algorithm is
> basically :
>> 
>> def clique( .. ):
>>    def extend( .. ):
>>      ..
>>      ..
>>      if ( .. ) extend( .. )
>>      ..
>>      ..
>> 
>>    c = 0
>>    ..
>>    extend( .. )
>> 
>> The variable c is accessed in the function extend().
>> 
>> I suppose I could just make c and argument to extend as you mention -
>> though it seems a little less elegent than allowing extend() to have
>> access to c directly.
> 
> If extend *modifies* c, then making it an argument to extend won't work;
> making it an argument makes a new binding for c, local to extend(), and
> won't modify c in clique(). The hack that used a list will work, but is
> still ugly. I'd suggest either rewriting the algorithm in register form
> (using a while loop) instead of recursive form, or (last resort) make c
> a global instead of a local within clique(). Does c get modified by
> clique()? If the answer is no, you might be able to rewrite extend() as
> a generator instead of a recursive function.

If extend *modifies* c, then it surely isn't too hard to do this:

def clique( .. ):
   def extend(c,  .. ):
     ..
     ..
     if ( .. ) c = extend(c,  .. )
     ..
     ..
    	return c

   c = 0
   ..
   c = extend(c,  .. )

This way it is obvious that you are modifying c in the inner function.

Alternatively how about using a class?