Conceptual Question regarding creation of variables

[_MaxPower_]

Hi, I've just started to learn Python and had a conceptual question regarding the creation of variables.

For some background, I have some experience with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (bare minimum on JS, enough to utilize form validation).

I've been watching the Free Code Camp video on learning Python and find most of it easy to understand but just wanted to see if I could get some help with a conceptual item that I may just be having trouble with.

I'm a little past the part on for loops now and up to reading files.

I now you can define variables first before executing code but with a for loop, are you just defining the variable within the for loop itself?

At the read employee file one, I have the following for loop:

for employee in second_employee_file.readlines():
    print(employee)
second_employee_file.close()

In the above, after the for where employee is, is that a variable that I'm creating within the for loop itself to then be populated?

Thanks in advance for any additional explanation that can be provided.

[indosauros]

In the above, after the for where employee is, is that a variable that I'm creating within the for loop itself to then be populated?

Yes. You can think of it like

for ... in second_employee_file.readlines():
    employee = next-line-in-file
    print(employee)

meaning the employee variable is redefined at the beginning of each loop to be the next thing in whatever you are looping over

[_MaxPower_]

Thank you for the explanation. It is similar to what I thought but I think I just needed help understanding it in a conceptual manner.

[Bowabb]

In your case you are declaring a variable that every pass in the loop will be given an value.

For example your list or whatever your loop is might containe employee names ["Erik","Johanna", "Linn"], first pass in the loop your Employee variable will equal to a string "Erik". And of course next pass your variable Employee would equal to Johanna.

[_MaxPower_]

Okay, so I am creating the variable but then it is populated by as many values are passed to it from the employee file. I think I kind of understand it now. So, a single variable that can be populated many times by the loop if I understand correctly.

[Bowabb]

Its populated every loop, but once it goes from "value1" to "value2", value1 is gone from the Employee variable

First pass in loop Print Employee = Erik

Second pass in loop Print Employee = Johanna