python functions

A function is a block of code designed to perform a specific task.

![[IMG-20231222-WA0000.jpg]] Header Note that a function can also have no arguments, or it can have multiple arguments.

For every function, the parentheses enclosing the function argument(s) must be followed by a colon :

Body Every line of code in the function body must be indented exactly four spaces.

https://chat.openai.com/share/d75deb94-16bf-41a9-b1f8-7b8197a02a55

Variable “scope” in python explain with examples

In Python, variable scope refers to the region of the code where a variable is accessible. There are mainly two types of variable scopes:

1. Global scope: Variables defined outside of any function have global scope, meaning they can be accessed from anywhere within the code.

   global_var = 10  # Global variable
   
   def func():
       print(global_var)  # Accessing global_var within a function
   
   func()  # Output: 10
   print(global_var)  # Output: 10

2. Local scope: Variables defined within a function have local scope, meaning they are accessible only within that function.

   def func():
       local_var = 20  # Local variable
       print(local_var)  # Accessing local_var within the function
   
   func()  # Output: 20
   print(local_var)  # This will cause an error because local_var is not accessible here

Additionally, Python has a concept of scope hierarchy where variables are looked up in a specific order: local scope, then enclosing functions’ scopes, and finally the global scope.

Consider this example:

x = 30  # Global variable

def outer_func():
    y = 40  # Enclosing function's variable
    
    def inner_func():
        z = 50  # Local variable
        print(x, y, z)  # Accessing variables from different scopes
    
    inner_func()

outer_func()  # Output: 30 40 50

Here, inner_func() can access variables from its local scope, the enclosing function’s scope, and the global scope. However, variables defined inside inner_func() are not accessible outside of it or in other enclosing functions.

Understanding variable scope helps in writing cleaner and more maintainable code by managing the visibility and accessibility of variables.