Can You Retrieve the Original Variable Names Passed to a Python Function?

Retrieving Original Variable Names Passed to Functions

In Python, obtaining the original name of a variable passed to a function may seem like a straightforward task. However, Python's variable scope and dynamic typing pose some challenges in achieving this. Nevertheless, there is a way to work around this limitation, although it is not recommended for practical use due to its complexity and potential pitfalls.

Using the inspect module, it is possible to retrieve the code context of the calling function and extract the names of the passed variables. The following Python example demonstrates how this can be done:

<code class="python">import inspect

def foo(a, f, b):
    frame = inspect.currentframe()
    frame = inspect.getouterframes(frame)[1]
    string = inspect.getframeinfo(frame[0]).code_context[0].strip()
    args = string[string.find('(') + 1:-1].split(',')

    names = []
    for i in args:
        if i.find('=') != -1:
            names.append(i.split('=')[1].strip())

        else:
            names.append(i)

    print(names)

def main():
    e = 1
    c = 2
    foo(e, 1000, b=c)

main()</code>

Output:

['e', '1000', 'c']

It is important to note that this technique should only be used for educational or experimental purposes. It is not advisable to implement this method in production code, as it can lead to code that is brittle, difficult to debug, and potentially vulnerable to security issues.

In general, it is preferable to pass the variable names explicitly as additional arguments to the function, or to use other approaches to handle the task that does not require obtaining the original variable names.

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