UnboundLocalError problems

[Terry Reedy]

Mr SZ wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> I am writing a small script that changes my pidgin status to away when I 
> lock my screen.I'm using the DBUS API for pidgin and 
> gnome-screensaver.Here's the code:
> 
> #!/usr/bin/env python
> 
> import dbus, gobject
> from dbus.mainloop.glib import DBusGMainLoop
> dbus.mainloop.glib.DBusGMainLoop(set_as_default=True)
> bus = dbus.SessionBus()
> 
> obj = bus.get_object("im.pidgin.purple.PurpleService", 
> "/im/pidgin/purple/PurpleObject")
> purple = dbus.Interface(obj, "im.pidgin.purple.PurpleInterface")
> 
> 
> STATUS_AVAILABLE = 2
> STATUS_AWAY = 5
> 
> ORIG_TYPE = 0
> ORIG_MSG = ""
> 
> 
> def my_func2(IsEnabled):

you need
       global ORIG_TYPE,ORIG_MSG

>     if IsEnabled:
>         ORIG_TYPE,ORIG_MSG = get_current() 

because this otherwise marks them as local.

[snip]

> When I run it,it errors out at :
> 
>         set_status(ORIG_TYPE,ORIG_MSG)   
> 
> giving the error "UnboundLocalError: local variable 'ORIG_TYPE' 
> referenced before assignment" .This happens

In the future, copy and paste the full traceback, which often has 
additional useful information -- like the line # of the call -- which is 
not so obvious to someone who has not read the code.

>  
> Aren't ORIG_TYPE and ORIG_MSG global variables? Where am I going 
> wrong?Everything works fine if I set the arguments manually to the 
> set_status function.

*Any* assignment to a name, including with def, class, import, and 
augmented assignment, even if the statement is unreachable and cannot be 
executed, marks the name as local -- unless you specify it as global (or 
nonlocal in 3.0).

tjr