LEGB rule

LEGB rule

Scope also defines the order in which variables have to be mapped to the object in order to obtain the value. Let us take a simple example as shown below:

x:= 'outer x variable'

display():

x:= 'inner x variable'

print x

display()

When the above statements are executed the statement (4) and (5) display the result as

Output

outer x variable

inner x variable

Above statements give different outputs because the same variable name x resides in different scopes, one inside the function display() and the other in the upper level. The value ‘outer xvariable’ is printed when x is referenced outside the function definition. Whereas when display() gets executed, ‘inner x variable’ is printed which is the x value inside the function definition. From the above example, we can guess that there is a rule followed, in order to decide from which scope a variable has to be picked.

The LEGB rule is used to decide the order in which the scopes are to be searched for scope resolution. The scopes are listed below in terms of hierarchy (highest to lowest).

Local(L) : Defined inside function/class

Enclosed(E) : Defined inside enclosing functions (Nested function concept)

Global(G) : Defined at the uppermost level

Built-in (B) : Reserved names in built-in functions (modules)