Pass by reference or by value?

[James Stroud]

Erik Max Francis wrote:
> James Stroud wrote:
> 
>> Robert Dailey wrote:
>>
>>> I noticed in Python all function parameters seem to be passed by
>>> reference. This means that when I modify the value of a variable of a
>>> function, the value of the variable externally from the function is
>>> also modified.
>>>
>>> Sometimes I wish to work with "copies", in that when I pass in an
>>> integer variable into a function, I want the function to be modifying
>>> a COPY, not the reference. Is this possible?
>>
>>
>> Not only is this possible, that is actually what happens with ints!
> 
> 
> But that's because ints are immutable, not because there is an explicit 
> copy of anything being made.
> 

Yes. I was taking his quotes around "copies" to mean a description of 
behavior and not implementation.

James

-- 
James Stroud
UCLA-DOE Institute for Genomics and Proteomics
Box 951570
Los Angeles, CA 90095

http://www.jamesstroud.com/