Now, the nicest thing your example did was make me try to understand the function concept, especially the way variables get handled. I'd read about local vs. global variables, but was confused by the idea. However, trying to implement the function so I could get the results of the function to print both "inside" (as a variable local to the function) and "outside (as a global variable captured out from the function made me puzzle why my examples were not working...but now I get it!
Thanks for spurring me to figure it out, canuckfan34.
Here's how I processed the information...with many trials and frustrating prints of the value of zero for the final print.
The big key for me was seeing the difference of calling the function:
area_rectangle(5,7)
which shoves the two values into the function and gives variable area work inside as a local var.
The second half of my slow realization came when I saw that the value inside not only needed a return from inside, but that the call of the function needed to be assigned to the global area variable.
area = 0 # initializes the global variable
def area_rectangle(length,width): # vars pulled into the function
area = length * width
print "The area of the rectangle is: ", area # local "inside" var
return area
# The next line sort of works, getting the values into the function.
# area_rectangle(5,7) # but it doesn't work to capture the return attempt
# The big realization was that the inside return needed to be assigned
# to the outside (global) variable, EVEN IF THEY WERE THE SAME VAR NAME
area = area_rectangle(5,7) # this assignment captures the inside local
# via the return to the outside, global area var
# The inside area isn't the same as the outside one even though they
# share the same human-readable name.
print "The area (global) is: ", area
# Over and over this stayed zero, until I saw the need to assign the
# return value of the inside (local) to the outside (global)
# during the function call.
A more readable version is here: https://gist.github.com/algotruneman/5868694
Thank you, canuckfan34. Your example helped me significantly advance my understanding of Python.
