problem with variable scoping

[Fredrik Lundh]

(I might be busy, but don't expect me to let you guys get
away with things like this while I'm off-line ;-)

> Ummmm.....Tim, I beg to differ: it is more like the C++
> 
> void process(const char *line)
> {
>   if (last_line_empty)
>       ;
>   else
>       printf("<P>\n");
>   int last_line_empty;
> 
>   last_line_empty = 1;
> }
> 
> The  Python code shadows last_line_empty only *after* the "decleration"

if it worked this way, do you really think Michael would have
gotten a NameError in the first place?

here's the full story:

http://www.python.org/doc/current/ref/execframes.html says:

    Whether a name is local or global in a code block is determined
    by static inspection of the source text for the code block: in the
    absence of global statements, a name that is bound anywhere in
    the code block is local in the entire code block; all other names
    are considered global. The global statement forces global inter-
    pretation of selected names throughout the code block.

    ...

    Local names are searched only on the local namespace.

    ..

    When a name is not found at all, a NameError exception is
    raised.

note the use of "anywhere", "throughout", and "only".

</F>