variable sharing by chapter

[asterix314]

Description

Currently, variables in marimo are either global or cell-private. It would be convenient to have variable sharing at a scope somewhere in between these 2 extremes, e.g. chapter level (second level header in markdown), where the discussion is focused on a specific topic so variable sharing above the cell level is a legitimate need, but still avoids dumping everything in the global space.

Suggested solution

Ideally, a notebook configuration setting specifies at which level of heading the variables are to be shared. And all cells under the specified markdown heading share their variables. Underscored variables remain cell-private.

Are you willing to submit a PR?

• Yes

Alternatives

No response

Additional context

No response

[asterix314]

Come to think of it, the cells "chain update" rule could be applied at the chapter (or lower) levels, too, effectively splitting the dependency graph into multiple subgraphs, and the notebook becomes a collection of these dependency subgraphs.

[akshayka]

Hi @asterix314, thank you for the feature request. While I see the need, this will be difficult for us to maintain and explain to our users. We prefer to have only one very simple rule for reactivity that can be easily understood and applied.

In your situation, even if not ideal, I would recommend:

• refactoring the code to use fewer globals (using functions for example)
• using unique variable names
• splitting each chapter into its own notebook