Is it possible to create C-style "main" function in Python? (for teaching purposes)

[Alec Taylor]

Make something with http://metapython.org/

?

On Tue, Oct 4, 2011 at 3:21 AM, Aivar Annamaa <aivar.annamaa at gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi!
>
> I'm looking for a trick or hidden feature to make Python 3 automatically
> call a "main" function but without programmers writing `if __name__ ==
> "__main__": ...`
>
> I found rejected PEP 299, but i thought that maybe there's something new
> already.
>
> Here's why I want such a thing:
> I'm teaching introductory programming course with Python. I've seen that
> global variables attract beginners like honey attracts bees and this makes
> teaching function parameters harder. When students learn functions, they
> usually write their function definitions and function applications in the
> same scope -- in top-level of the module (don't know the correct term for
> it). This has the downside, that any variable introduced in top-level is
> automatically visible in function definitions and I have hard time
> convincing students not to use those variables in functions directly.
>
> I've been thinking that it might be better for teaching if all program code
> would be in functions. This would make "Hello World" a bit more difficult,
> but would help teaching the "real thing" ie. functions.
>
> best regards,
> Aivar
>
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>