Problem With Global Variables

[schoenefeldt-andreas]

Hello,

i have a problem with the declaration of global variables. I use a string array in several parts of the script and so I thought it would be a good Idea, to make it global. The values are changed quite often during development.

The problematic part of the code is:

CODE
global string $lsArray[10] = {"b", "b", "b", "e", "e", "v", "g", "g", "h", "u", "g"};
[...]

global proc defineSoteUIView(){
[...]

string $ls;
for ($ls in $lsArray) {
    menuItem -label $ls;
}

[...]          
}

The code works faultless, if I declare $lsArray as a local variable. If I declare it as global in the beginning of the script, it is not found.

CODE
// Error:                 for ($ls in $lsArray) {
//
// Error: Line 143.25: "$lsArray" is an undeclared variable. //

Do you have an Idea, what is wrong or what I make wrong?

Thank you very much for your help, every luck to you and much excuses for my poor english.

Andreas

P.S. I use Maya 7.0

[molemansd7]

I think you have to 'scope' the variable. I think that's the term programmers use. Basically, further down in your script, instead of calling '$lsArray', you have to call 'global $lsArray' so maya knows that you're looking for the global variable. Otherwise, it thinks its local, and since it can't find it, the script will error out.

[ewerybody]

hey andreas108!: If you really really have to use a global variable in this case: give it a bomb-proof name so it will not mess with the other thousands of script files of Maya. And clear it after you used it!

Why do you think it has to be global? I always suggest to avoid them. In 99.99% of the cases you really don't need them at all.

[schoenefeldt-andreas]

Yes, I now, I now. Global Variables are bad.
But in my case I have no Idea, how to avoid it AND have a comfortable way to change the values during development. The script should create an Interface, where one can choose the value of an enum-type user-Attribute.
In one procedure I create the interface and in the next procedure I add the Attribute to the maya-Objects. To be shure, that the names and order of the values are in both equal, I would like to take the values from an global array in both cases. If someone has an better Idea, I realy would like to hear it.

@ molemansd7:

Thanks for the tip with the variable scope, but it is not working. if I try "for ($ls in global $lsArray)" I also get an (not very helpful) error Message:

// Error: Syntax Error

[ewerybody]

Nah if everythings fine and you have it for the development only its not THAT bad...

moleman might mean that the global variable must be declared global in the scope you are using it:

CODE
// you might declare it outside:
global string $bla = "blabla\n";

{
    // but its unknown unless you declare it inside without setting it:
    global string $bla;
    print $bla;
}

[schoenefeldt-andreas]

Wow!

Thanks a lott! That was it.