C-style static variables in Python?

[Terry Reedy]

On 4/1/2010 6:34 PM, kj wrote:
>
>
> When coding C I have often found static local variables useful for
> doing once-only run-time initializations.  For example:
>
> int foo(int x, int y, int z) {
>
>    static int first_time = TRUE;
>    static Mongo *mongo;
>    if (first_time) {
>      mongo = heavy_lifting_at_runtime();
>      first_time = FALSE;
>    }
>
>    return frobnicate(mongo, x, y, z);

Global var or class or closure such as below (obviously untested ;=):

make_foo()
   mongo = heavy_lifting_at_runtime();
   def _(x,y,z):
	return frobnicate(mongo, x, y, z)
   return _
foo = make_foo
del make_foo # to make sure it is *never* called again ;

Now you only have foo with a hard-to-access private object and no 
first_time checks when you call it.

Terry Jan Reedy