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Python syntax in Lisp and Scheme

Lulu of the Lotus-Eaters mertz at gnosis.cx
Sat Oct 4 16:12:53 EDT 2003 
Alex Martelli <aleax at aleax.it> wrote previously:
|>  >>> def foo(i, accum=[0]):
|>  ...     accum[0]+=i
|>  ...     return accum[0]

|...cannot just instantiate multiple independent accumulators
|Making a cookie, and making a cookie-cutter, are quite different

True... just like there's a difference between a function and a function
factory (it's quite a close analogy, really):

    >>> def foofactory(start):
    ...     def foo(i, accum=[start]):
    ...         accum[0]+=i
    ...         return accum[0]
    ...     return foo
    >>> x = foofactory(7)
    >>> y = foofactory(2)
    >>> x(1)
    8
    >>> y(2)
    4
    >>> x(2)
    10

But that's pretty close to what a couple other people have suggested.

Yours, Lulu...

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