main

[Paddy]

On Feb 3, 4:45 am, fatwallet... at yahoo.com wrote:
> is the main function in python is exact compare to Java main method?
>
> all execution start in main which may takes arguments?
>

Hi Fatwallet,
May I have some of your money?

Oh, sorry,  the main function...

The main function is *not*  like that of Java, if Java is ike C in
that execution starts in main().
In Python, you can create a function called main and it behaves just
like any other function.

Stick that function in a file and the python interpreter will create a
function object out of it, assigned to the name main.

Now, while directly interpreting a python file, the interpreter sets
the global name __name__ to the value '__main__'
If the file is being interpreted due to it being referenced via an
import statement, then __name__ is set to the name of the module being
imported.

You can therefore use the value of the __name__ variable to get a file
to do different things when imported versus when directly run.
Some people arrange for a function called main to be called when
directly interpreted; other don't.

Its a convention only.
Others use the trick to call test functions when directly executed,
when the file is normally imported as a module.


> and what is
> __name__
> __main__
>
> use for in terms of Java?
>

With respect, (hehe), maybe you need to indicate that you've searched
the Python documentation on __name__ and __main__?
(Hah! I did that without saying RTFM. - Oh pooh! Fiddlesticks).

- Paddy.