[Tutor] Functions and Variable Names

[alan.gauld@bt.com]

> Okay, if I have separate functions, I know I can pass a value 
> between them with the same variable name.  But is that considered 
> poor programming?  

No its perfectly cvommon and acceptable practice.
However....

> def f1(score): print "Your score of %d has been recorded." %score
> 
> def f2(score):
	...
>     f1(score)
> 
> def main():
>     score = 90
>     f2(score)

> "score" is the prefect name for what I'm representing, but 
> should I have different names for this value in each function?  

To distinguish between the global variable and the parameters 
you might like to adopt a naming technique. My personal one is 
like so:

def f1(aScore): ....
def f2(aScore):....

def main():
   theScore = 90
   f2(theScore)

Thus the top level one (which gets the initial value) I call theXXX 
and the parameters - which could be any value - I call aXXX.

FWIW I also use this technique in class definitions for languages like 
Java/C++ where explicit 'self' is not used. In Python that specific 
problem doesn't exist.

HTH,

Alan G.