Python Classes and Object-Oriented Programming
A complete introduction to Python classes, objects, inheritance, and OOP concepts. Create robust data models and scale your python applications.
Overview
Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of "objects", which can contain data and code.
A class is like an object constructor or a "blueprint" for creating objects.
The __init__() function is a special method called a constructor, automatically invoked when a new object of that class is created.
Code Example
Defining a strict representation of a Car object instance and utilizing class methods to mutate local instance data.
class Car:
def __init__(self, make, model):
self.make = make
self.model = model
self.is_running = False
def start(self):
self.is_running = True
return f"{self.make} {self.model} has started."
my_car = Car("Toyota", "Corolla")
print(my_car.make)
print(my_car.start())Toyota
Toyota Corolla has started.Real-world Use Cases
- Modeling real-world entities (Users, Products, Carts)
- Building game engines and entity-component systems
- Creating reusable graphical user interface components
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "self" mean?
"self" represents the instance of the class. By using the "self" keyword we can access the attributes and methods of the class in python.
Does Python support multiple inheritance?
Yes, Python allows a class to inherit from multiple parent classes.