BSCBCANOTES: Modules and Namespaces

A namespace is a container that provides a named context for a set of identifiers.
It helps programs avoid potential name clashes by associating each identifier with the namespace from which it originates.
A name clash occurs when two otherwise distinct entities with the same name become part of the same scope.
In Python, name clashes can happen if two or more modules contain identifiers with the same name and are imported into the same program.

Example:

In the example, module1 and module2 are imported into the same program.
Each module contains an identifier named double, which returns very different results.
When the function call double(4) is executed in the main program, a name clash occurs because it cannot be determined which double function should be called.

# module1.py
def double(x):
    return x * 2

# module2.py
def double(x):
    return x ** 2

In the example, module1 and module2 are imported into the same program.
Each module contains an identifier named double, which returns very different results.

result1 = double(4)
result2 = double(4)

When the function call double(4)_ is executed in the main program, a name clash occurs because it cannot be determined which double function should be called.

Namespaces provide a means for resolving name clash problems.
Each module in Python has its own namespace, including the names of all items in the module (functions, global variables, etc.).
To distinguish between identifiers with the same name in different modules, they are fully qualified with the name of the module in which each is defined.

Example with Resolution:

result1 = module1.double(4)
result2 = module2.double(4)

When both modules are imported into the main script, calling module1.double(4) executes the function from module1 while calling module2.double(4) executes the function from module2

BSCBCANOTES