Why Does Globalising A Boolean Not Work But Globalising A Dictionary Does

This is just a question wondering why this doesn't work. I have figured out a better way, but I don't know why previously it wasn't working. global mydict mydict = {} This seems t

Solution 1:

The code you've posted does not produce the error you claim it does. However using the global keyword outside of a function has no effect, so it's not surprising that it doesn't work like you expect.

I assume that in your real code, you're actually trying to assign to haveamessage inside on_message. If so, you need a global statement inside that method.

Basically the rule is: If you try to assign a global variable from within a function, you need to use the global keyword within that function. Otherwise you don't need the global keyword at all. Whether or not the variable is a boolean makes no difference.

Solution 2:

I believe what you want to do is define the global variables, but then in your function reference them so you can use them locally:

import chatbot
mydict = {}
haveamessage = FalseclassMyBot(chatbot.ChatBot):
    def__init__(self, username, password, site):
        chatbot.ChatBot.__init__(self,username,password,site)

    defon_message(self, c, e):
        global mydict
        global haveamessage
        print mydict
        print haveamessage