Symbols as parameters?

[Martin Drautzburg]

Here is a complete expample using a decorator, still a bit noisy

def move(aDirection):
    print "moving " + aDirection

#Here comes the decorator
def scope(aDict):
    def save(locals):
        """Set symbols in locals and remember their original state"""
        setSymbols={}
        unsetSymbols=[]
        for i in ("up", "down", "left", "right"):
            if locals.has_key(i):
                setSymbols[i] = locals[i]
            else:
                unsetSymbols.append(i)
            # define the new symbols
            locals[i] = i

        return setSymbols, unsetSymbols
    
    def restore (locals, set, unset):
        """restore locals from set and unset"""
        for i in set.keys():
            locals[i] = set[i]
        for i in unset:
            del(locals[i])
               
    def callFunc(f):
        """Main decorator"""
        set, unset = save(aDict)
        f()
        restore(aDict, set, unset)
    return callFunc


# --------------------------------------
# using it
# --------------------------------------
# a variable defined in the outer scope
up="outerScopeUp"

# magic, magic (still too noisy for my taste)
@scope (locals())
def _():
    move(up)
    move(down)
    move(left)
    move(right)

#verify the the outer scope variable hasn't changed
print "in the outer scope up is still:", up
print
print "this should fail:"
down

# --------------------------------------
# Output
# --------------------------------------

moving up
moving down
moving left
moving right
in the outer scope up is still: outerScopeUp

this should fail:
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 50, in <module>
NameError: name 'down' is not defined