([2010-01] this is a bad, bad idea) Re: Comments in http://stackoverflow.com/questions/279561/what-is-the-python-equivalent-of-static-variables-inside-a-function#279592

foobar.py

#!/usr/bin/env python
# encoding: utf-8
from __future__ import division, with_statement
import sys

class Foo(object):
	def bar(self, counter=[0]):
		counter[0] += 1
		print("Counter is %i" % counter[0])

def main(*args):
	foo = Foo()
	foo_two = Foo()
	
	print("foo.bar():")
	foo.bar()
	foo.bar()
	
	print("foo_two.bar()")
	foo_two.bar()
	foo_two.bar()

if __name__ == "__main__": sys.exit(main(*sys.argv[1:]))

foobar.txt

foo.bar():
Counter is 1
Counter is 2
foo_two.bar()
Counter is 3
Counter is 4