719

Also, do y'all call main() in the if block or do you just put the code you want to run in the if block?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[-] sheridan@lemmy.world 20 points 3 days ago

Could someone explain this please? I'm still a noob.

[-] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 101 points 3 days ago

Python has a bunch of magic variables, like __name__. This one contains the name of the module you're currently in (usually based on the file name), so if your file is called foo.py, it will have the value foo.

But that's only if your module is being imported by another module. If it's executed directly (e.g. python foo.py), it will instead have a __name__ of __main__. This is often used to add a standalone CLI section to modules - e.g. the module usually only defines functions that can be imported, but when executed it runs an example of those functions.

[-] d00ery@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago

Really helpful explanation, thanks.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (8 replies)
this post was submitted on 28 May 2025
719 points (96.3% liked)

Programmer Humor

23564 readers
1575 users here now

Welcome to Programmer Humor!

This is a place where you can post jokes, memes, humor, etc. related to programming!

For sharing awful code theres also Programming Horror.

Rules

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS