2.6. Closures¶

2.6.1. Nested Function¶

Function inside the function
nested functions can access the variables of the enclosing scope

def outer(message):

    def inner():
        print(message)

    return inner

2.6.2. What is closure?¶

technique by which the data is attached to some code even after end of those other original functions is called as closures
Closures can avoid use of global variables and provides some form of data hiding
When the interpreter detects the dependency of inner nested function on the outer function, it stores or makes sure that the variables in which inner function depends on are available even if the outer function goes away
Method of binding data to a function without actually passing them as parameters is called closure
It is a function object obj that remembers values in enclosing scopes even if they are not present in memory
Closures provide some sort of data hiding as they are used as callback functions
This helps us to reduce the use of global variables
Useful for replacing hard-coded constants
Closures prove to be efficient way when we have few functions in our code

def outer(message):

    def inner():
        print(message)

    return inner


todo = outer('hello')
todo()
# hello

del outer
todo()
# hello

def f(x):
    def g(y):
        return x + y
    return g

2.6.3. Examples¶

Listing 2.67. Functions has access to the outer scope¶

data = [1, 2, 3]

def outer():
    print('inner', data)

outer()
# inner [1, 2, 3]

print('outer', data)
# outer [1, 2, 3]

Listing 2.68. Variables in functions can shadow outer scope. Outer scope is restored, when function returns¶

data = [1,2,3]

def outer():
    data = ['a', 'b', 'c']
    print('inner', data)

outer()
# inner ['a', 'b', 'c']

print('outer', data)
# outer [1, 2, 3]

Listing 2.69. Functions can modify outer scope¶

data = [1,2,3]

def outer():
    global data
    data = ['a', 'b', 'c']
    print('inner', data)

outer()
# inner ['a', 'b', 'c']

print('outer', data)
# outer ['a', 'b', 'c']

Listing 2.70. inner function (closure) has access to its outer scope, that is outer function.¶

def outer():
    data = ['a', 'b', 'c']

    def inner():
        print('inner', data)

    inner()
    print('outer', data)

outer()
# inner ['a', 'b', 'c']
# outer ['a', 'b', 'c']

def outer():
    data = ['a', 'b', 'c']

    def inner():
        print('inner', data)

    return inner


my_ptr = outer()

print(my_ptr)
# <function outer.<locals>.inner at 0x11bfb8560>

my_ptr()
# inner ['a', 'b', 'c']

def outer():
    data = ['a', 'b', 'c']

    def inner():
        print('inner', data)

    return inner


my_ptr = outer()

print(my_ptr)
# <function outer.<locals>.inner at 0x10617c8b0>

del outer

print(my_ptr)
# <function outer.<locals>.inner at 0x10617c940>

my_ptr()
# inner ['a', 'b', 'c']