Closures and overwriting are two important concepts in Python that are often used in advanced programming.
Closures: A closure is a nested function that remembers and has access to the values of the enclosing function's variables, even after the enclosing function has completed execution. In Python, closures are created by defining a function within another function and returning the inner function.
Here is an example of a closure in Python:
def outer_function(x): def inner_function(y): return x + y return inner_functionclosure = outer_function(10)print(closure(5)) # Output: 15 |
In the above example, outer_function returns the inner_function, which has access to the variable x from the outer_function even though outer_function has already completed its execution. The returned inner_function is assigned to the variable closure, which can now be called with an argument y to get the sum of x and y.
Overwriting: Overwriting occurs when a variable or function with the same name as an existing variable or function is defined in the same scope. When a variable or function is overwritten, its original value or behavior is lost, and the new value or behavior takes its place.
Here is an example of overwriting a variable in Python:
x = 10print(x) # Output: 10x = 20print(x) # Output: 20 |
In the above example, the variable x is assigned the value 10. Later, it is reassigned the value 20, overwriting its original value.
Here is an example of overwriting a function in Python:
def my_function(): print("Hello, World!")my_function() # Output: "Hello, World!"def my_function(): print("Goodbye, World!")my_function() # Output: "Goodbye, World!" |
In the above example, the function my_function is defined and called, printing "Hello, World!". Later, the function my_function is redefined to print "Goodbye, World!", overwriting its original behavior. When my_function is called again, it prints "Goodbye, World!" instead of "Hello, World!".