Question about variables in "for" loops

Question

The example in Logic in Python: Around and Around reads:
```python
my_list = ['hello', 'how', 'are', 'you']
for word in my_list:
    print(word)
```
My question is: how does Python understand that "word" is a variable that applies to the items in the mylist set? Does it matter what you put there? Is it just a stand-in that Python understands? That is, Python can see that mylist is a list of things, a list of strings, even. And so it just assumes that when you say "for foo in mylist" that whatever it is in mylist is a list of foos? Or is there some underlying syntax I'm missing?

Gianmarco Mazzoran · Accepted Answer

Hi,
```python
my_list = ['first', 'second', 'third']
for thing in my_list:
    print(thing)
```
the word "thing" retrieve the same result of your word "word" in the for loop.
It's just naming convention. 
Perhaps if have a list of books my for loop would look like something like this:
python
for book in books:
    print(book)

with variables it works the same way, but returns the value stored inside the variables:
```python
var1 = "Hi"
var2 = "how"
my_list = [var1, var2]
for thing in my_list:
    print(thing)
```
the output for the loop above would be:
python
Hi
how

For Python doesn't matter what's inside your list. It's assume that is a iterable object and with the for loop go trougth every item inside your list.
Here's the documentation (https://docs.python.org/3.5/reference/compound_stmts.html#for) about it.

Marta Rivera · Answer

thanks!

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Marta Rivera

Marta Rivera

Question about variables in "for" loops

2 Answers

Gianmarco Mazzoran

Gianmarco Mazzoran

Marta Rivera

Marta Rivera