"Variable Definition" vs "Variable Assignment" in Python

Question

I understand that in Python you don't need to "declare" variables because it is dynamic. However I was wondering what was the correct way of saying it:

"Assign a variable"
"Define a variable"

This is just out of curiosity, but it also would be nice to understand it for documentation purposes.

Are they the same? If they are interchangeable, What is the preferred way?

In Python, the correct way is really to say 'Bind a value to a name'. — anon582847382
– anon582847382, Commented May 13, 2014 at 16:04
@ValekHalfHeart: These are not complete answers, nor is the question necessarily answerable in its current form, within the constraints of Stack Overflow. — Martijn Pieters
– Martijn Pieters, Commented May 13, 2014 at 16:07

gat · Accepted Answer · 2014-05-13 16:26:14Z

1

In Python, you bind a "name" to an object.

From https://docs.python.org/2/reference/executionmodel.html:

"Names refer to objects. Names are introduced by name binding operations. Each occurrence of a name in the program text refers to the binding of that name established in the innermost function block containing the use."

Also, you may wish to see visualization like this, to make things more clear.

edited May 13, 2014 at 16:26

answered May 13, 2014 at 16:11

gat

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