Why aren’t python nested functions called closures?

A closure occurs when a function has access to a local variable from an enclosing scope that has finished its execution.

def make_printer(msg):
    def printer():
        print msg
    return printer

printer = make_printer('Foo!')
printer()

When make_printer is called, a new frame is put on the stack with the compiled code for the printer function as a constant and the value of msg as a local. It then creates and returns the function. Because the function printer references the msg variable, it is kept alive after the make_printer function has returned.

So, if your nested functions don’t

• access variables that are local to enclosing scopes,
• do so when they are executed outside of that scope,

then they are not closures.

Here’s an example of a nested function which is not a closure.

def make_printer(msg):
    def printer(msg=msg):
        print msg
    return printer

printer = make_printer("Foo!")
printer()  #Output: Foo!

msg is just a normal local variable of the function printer in this context.