[Tutor] beginning to code

[Bill]

Marko Rauhamaa wrote:
> Bill <BILL_NOSPAM at whoknows.net>:
>
>> I figure that, internally, an address, a pointer, is being passed by
>> value to implement pass by reference. Why do you say "they are right"
>> above? Are you saying it's not pass by reference?

Thank you for your examples.  I studied them carefully (and I'm not 
through with them yet).
I just wanted to mention that my comment was made in the context that 
Python is implemented by an interpreter written in C.   I realize that 
this may not always be the case.  However, I haven't heard anyone 
mention a Python interpreter written in Python yet.
> "Pass by reference" could be "pass by reference to object" (Python,
> Java, JavaScript, Lisp) or "pass by reference to memory slot" (available
> to Pascal and C++).
>
> Memory slots (or lvalues, as they are known in C) are not first class
> objects in Python, which makes "pass by reference to memory slot" a bit
> tricky in Python. Python *could* add memory slots to its sanctioned
> collection of object types, and it *could* add special syntax to express
> a memory slot reference and dereference ("&" and "*" in C).
>
> However, Python doesn't need any language changes to implement memory
> slots. A memory slot could be defined as any object that implements
> "get()" and "set(value)" methods:
>
>     C: &x
>
>     Python:
>        class Xref:
>            def get(self): return x
>            def set(self, value): nonlocal x; x = value
>        ref_x = Xref()
>
>
>     C: &x->y[3]
>
>     Python:
>        class XY3ref:
>            def get(self): return x.y[3]
>            def set(self, value): x.y[3] = value
>        ref_xy3 = XY3ref()
>
> The examples could be simplified:
>
>        ref_x = slot_ref(locals(), "x")
>        ref_xy3 = slot_ref(x.y, 3)
>
> by defining:
>
>     def slot_ref(dict_or_array, key_or_index):
>         class SlotRef:
>             def get(self): return dict_or_array[key_or_index]
>             def set(self, value): dict_or_array[key_or_index] = value
>         return SlotRef()
>
>
> Marko