some basic questions...

[Player]

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Hello

 I am teaching myself python, and I have gotten a long way, it's quite a 
decent language and the syntax is great :)

However I am having a few, "problems" shall we say with certain conventions 
in python.

In the book I am using to teach me more of the inner working of python, and 
further into python that the basic tutorials go, there is this wording 
below...

[book quote]
When a file containing python code is executed, the built in variable _name_ 
is populated with the name of the module being executed. If the value of 
_name_ is _main_, then that file is the original file that was used to 
invoke the application from command line or an icon.
This is usefull, as it allows code to know the difference between when it is 
invoked & when it is imported by another python program. It is also provides 
a convenient place to provide one-time startup code.
[end quote]

Can someone explain this in some different wording, because I dn't know if 
my understanding of what is said in that paragraph is right or not?

ALSO
Below is some example of some code, for use with python and PyGame and PyUI, 
that I would like to ask a question about..

import pyui

class Application:
    def _init_(self, width, height):
        self.width = width
        self.height = height

    def run(self):
        """I am called to begin the Application or game.
        """

    def run()
        width = 800
        height = 600
        pyui.init(width, height)
        app= Application(width, height)
        app.run()

    if _name ==  '_main_':
        run()

Now I no that this code declares an Application class, and then invokes a 
run method to create an instance of that class. Then the Application cobject 
then uses the run method called to start the main loop.

Which basically created a game window of size 800 by 600.

What I don't understand is the, "self" bit of the two top functions.

Can somebody explain what the, "self" is actually for??

Thanks ina dvance :)

Player




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