PROGRAMMING IN PYTHON
Does Python offer globals?
An immediate answer is yes. And in fact, enough to investigate the official python documentation to read that…
In Python, variables that are only referenced within a function are implicitly global. If a variable is assigned a value anywhere within the function body, it is assumed to be local unless explicitly declared global.
So Python definitely offers globals. Furthermore, globals are a rather controversial topic, since their use can cause serious difficulties for both the developer and the user.
You might think, why should we use a programming tool that is so controversial? It’s a fair question, but easy to answer. Globals are among the programming tools that can be very useful as long as they are used correctly. However, if used incorrectly, they can do more harm than good.
Globals are among the programming tools that can be very useful as long as they are used correctly. However, if used incorrectly, they can do more harm than good.
Globals can be accessed from anywhere in a program. So, if you need a particular object to be accessible from anywhere, that’s when you create a global object.
You can create global constants, which do not change during program execution; and global variables, which can change. Therefore, a global constant is a literal value. Some examples could be, for example, the name of a company, the value of Pi or any mathematical constant. A global variable can be price, demand or color; These values can change and are therefore variable.
The Python Naming Convention for globals is as follows: use uppercase for global constants (PI
) and lowercase for global variables (price
).
Globals are a typical topic in programming, but this does not have to mean that they work the same in every programming language. Globals in Python have their own specificity, and any Python developer should know how…