how can I clear a dictionary in python

[Steven Howe]

Tempest in a teapot guys.

Aahz wrote:
> In article <slrnf16ng7.1cf.apardon at rcpc42.vub.ac.be>,
> Antoon Pardon  <apardon at forel.vub.ac.be> wrote:
>   
>> On 2007-04-03, Aahz <aahz at pythoncraft.com> wrote:
>>     
>>> In article <KP-dnXOp7ea8IZbbnZ2dnUVZ_oCmnZ2d at comcast.com>,
>>> Larry Bates  <lbates at websafe.com> wrote:
>>>       
>>>> Aahz wrote:
>>>>         
>>>>> In article <4_SdndYI-pFUbZfbnZ2dnUVZ_hzinZ2d at comcast.com>,
>>>>> Larry Bates  <lbates at websafe.com> wrote:
>>>>>           
>>>>>> Marko.Cain.23 at gmail.com wrote:
>>>>>>             
>>>>>>> I create a dictionary like this
>>>>>>> myDict = {}
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> and I add entry like this:
>>>>>>> myDict['a'] = 1
>>>>>>> but how can I empty the whole dictionary?
>>>>>>>               
>>>>>> just point myDict to an empty dictionary again
>>>>>>
>>>>>> myDict={}
>>>>>>             
>>>>> Go back and read Christian's post, then post a followup explaning why his
>>>>> solution is better than yours.  Your explanation should use id().
>>>>>           
>>>> I believe he (as many new to Python do) are mired in old programming
>>>> thinking that variables "contain" things.  As I'm sure you kno,
>>>> variables point to things in Python.  I don't believe that there are
>>>> lots of other objects pointing to this dictionary.  Perhaps the OP
>>>> can clarify for us.  If there aren't other objects pointing to this
>>>> dictionary it would make NO sense to iterate over a dictionary and
>>>> delete all the keys/values so I tried to read between the lines and
>>>> answer what I believe the OP thought he was asking.
>>>>         
>>> Then you should explain why you didn't answer the question that was
>>> asked.  Answering a different question without explanation makes your
>>> answer irrelevant at best, wrong at worst.
>>>       
>> This is not true. If this different question was in fact the intended
>> question instead of the one actually asked. Anwering this different
>> question can be more usefull than answering the one actually asked.
>>     
>
> Note carefully that I did not say, "Don't answer the question you think
> should have been asked."  What I said was, "If you answer a different
> question, EXPLAIN WHY."  Is that so difficult to understand?
>