[New-bugs-announce] [issue42597] Improve documentation of locals() w.r.t. "free variables" vs. global variables

[Dominik V.]

New submission from Dominik V. <dominik.vilsmeier1123 at gmail.com>:

The documentation of locals() mentions that:

> Free variables are returned by locals() when it is called in function blocks [...]

The term "free variable" is defined in the documentation about the execution model (https://docs.python.org/3/reference/executionmodel.html#binding-of-names):

> If a variable is used in a code block but not defined there, it is a free variable.

That definition includes global variables (and builtin ones), but these are not returned by locals(). For example compare the following:

```
x = 1
def foo():
    # global x
    x = 1
    def bar():
        print(locals())
        y = x
    bar()
foo()
```

If the `global x` is commented then it prints {'x': 1}, and if it is uncommented it prints {}. The same holds for names of builtins.

So the documentation of locals() could mention this in the following way (emphasis added):

> Free variables *of enclosing functions* are returned by locals() when it is called in function blocks [...]

-----

There is also a StackOverflow question, that describes this confusion: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/12919278/how-to-define-free-variable-in-python

By the way, would it be helpful to add the term "free variable" to the glossary (https://docs.python.org/3/glossary.html)?

----------
assignee: docs at python
components: Documentation
messages: 382721
nosy: Dominik V., docs at python
priority: normal
severity: normal
status: open
title: Improve documentation of locals() w.r.t. "free variables" vs. global variables
type: enhancement
versions: Python 3.10

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<https://bugs.python.org/issue42597>
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