How to use a returned value?

[DeaD_EyE]

Very easy trick, but in the most cases it's True.

def foo():
    name = 'Foo'
    return name

Everything, which is indented, is not accessible from outside.
This is True for functions, which don't use global variables.
Returning something from a function, requires that the caller assign the result.
But the caller can't see from outside, whats happening inside the function.
It's a kind of black box for the caller. You call it with something and then you get something back.

# I'm the caller
my_result = foo()

First the interpreter searches for the name foo (it could be everything).
Then the interpreter calls the object, which is referenced by foo. The function foo is executed and return the result.
On the caller side, the return value is assigned to the name result.
A = sign means always assignment to a name. (I don't like to use the term variable for it).


Edit:

If you see something like this:

a, b, c, d = some_function()

Then there is a step before assignment.
In this case the programmer expect 4 return values (objects).
If there is one name to less or too much, it won't work.
This technique is called Iterable Unpacking.
In addition, there is a Extended Iterable Unpacking.
I can't find the old pep.