Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.lang.python > #75048

Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference?

Show all headers | View raw

fl <rxjwg98@gmail.com> writes:

> On Tuesday, July 22, 2014 8:27:15 PM UTC-4, Terry Reedy wrote:
> > When you call a function, Python binds function parameter names to
> > argument objects in the function's local namespace, the same as in
> > name assignments. […]
> > Nothing is being 'passed'.
>
> Thanks, but I don't understand your point yet. Could you give me
> another example in which something is passed?

The point being made is that no values are is “passed” in a function
call. If you have learned that term from elsewhere, it doesn't apply
sensibly to Python.

When you have a function ‘foo’ defined to expect a parameter, and you
specify an object (say, the object you have access to by the reference
‘bar’)::

    foo(bar)

What happens is that *the very same object* you're referring to by the
name ‘bar’ is then referenced by a *different* name inside the function
‘foo’. There is no passing; the same object gets a new local name
assigned to it, for use only within that function's code.

Function parameters aren't passed anywhere, they don't go anywhere, they
don't get cast or copied or anything else to the function. The function
gets to refer to the identical object by a name local in that function;
you can see what that parameter's name is by the definition of the
function.

-- 
 \       “Pray, v. To ask that the laws of the universe be annulled in |
  `\     behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy.” —Ambrose |
_o__)                           Bierce, _The Devil's Dictionary_, 1906 |
Ben Finney

Back to comp.lang.python | Previous | Next — Previous in thread | Next in thread | Find similar | Unroll thread

Thread

Question about Pass-by-object-reference? fl <rxjwg98@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 12:04 -0700
  Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Ned Batchelder <ned@nedbatchelder.com> - 2014-07-22 15:32 -0400
    Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? fl <rxjwg98@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 12:54 -0700
  Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? fl <rxjwg98@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 12:34 -0700
    Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Peter Pearson <ppearson@nowhere.invalid> - 2014-07-22 20:35 +0000
      Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? emile <emile@fenx.com> - 2014-07-22 13:46 -0700
        Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? fl <rxjwg98@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 15:17 -0700
          Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Joel Goldstick <joel.goldstick@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 18:26 -0400
          Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? emile <emile@fenx.com> - 2014-07-22 15:33 -0700
          Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Jerry Hill <malaclypse2@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 19:06 -0400
        Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? fl <rxjwg98@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 15:31 -0700
          Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? emile <emile@fenx.com> - 2014-07-22 15:40 -0700
      Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? fl <rxjwg98@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 16:00 -0700
        Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? emile <emile@fenx.com> - 2014-07-22 16:10 -0700
  Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2014-07-22 20:27 -0400
    Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? fl <rxjwg98@gmail.com> - 2014-07-22 18:49 -0700
      Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-07-23 11:59 +1000
        Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-07-23 05:35 +0000
          Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2014-07-23 16:07 +1000
          Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Ben Finney <ben+python@benfinney.id.au> - 2014-07-23 16:25 +1000
          Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2014-07-23 18:51 -0400
            Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-07-24 03:22 +0000
              Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-07-24 05:05 +0000
    Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2014-07-23 05:36 +0000
      Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2014-07-23 18:32 -0400
    Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? alex23 <wuwei23@gmail.com> - 2014-07-25 15:20 +1000
  Re: Question about Pass-by-object-reference? Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2014-07-23 01:56 +0000

csiph-web