learn-python/contrib/advanced-python/classes.md

Python Classes and Objects

A class is a user-defined blueprint or prototype from which objects are created. Classes provides a means of bundling for data and functionality. Object is the instance of the class. A class can have any number of objects.

Syntax

Class Definition:

class ClassName:
      statements

Syntax
Object Definition:

 obj=ClassName()

The class creates a user-defined data structure, which holds its own data members and member functions which can be accessed and used by creating an instance of that class. A class is like a blueprint for an object.

Some points on Python class:

• Classes are created by keyword class.

• Attributes are the variables that belong to a class.

• Attributes are always public and can be accessed using the dot (.) operator.

  Eg.: My class.attribute

Example of Python Class and object

Creating an object in Python involves instantiating a class to create a new instance of that class. This process is also referred to as object instantiation.

Example:

class Person:
    	def __init__(self, name, age):
            	self.name = name
                    self.age = age

            def myfunc(self):
            	print("Hello my name is " + self.name)

p1 = Person("John", 36)
p1.myfunc()

Output : Hello my name is John.

The init() Function

All classes have a function called init(), which is always executed when the class is being initiated.We use the init() function to assign values to object properties.

Example:

class Person:
	def __init__(self, name, age):
			self.name = name
			self.age = age
p1 = Person("John", 36)

The self Parameter

The self parameter is a reference to the current instance of the class, and is used to access variables that belongs to the class.It does not have to be named self , you can call it whatever you like, but it has to be the first parameter of any function in the class.

Example:

class Person:
	def __init__(self, name, age):
			self.name = name
			self.age = age

p1 = Person("John", 36)
p1.myfunc()

When we call a method of this object as object.method(arg1, arg2), this is automatically converted by Python into Class.method(object, arg1, arg2).

Concepts of Classes

Main principles of OOPs in Python are abstraction, encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism.

• Abstraction
• Encapsulation
• Inheritence
• Polymorphism

Abstraction

Data abstraction in Python is a programming concept that hides complex implementation details while exposing only essential information and functionalities to users. In Python, we can achieve data abstraction by using abstract classes and abstract classes can be created using abc (abstract base class) module and abstractmethod of abc module.

Abstract Method:

In Python, abstract method feature is not a default feature. To create abstract method and abstract classes we have to import the “ABC” and “abstractmethod” classes from abc (Abstract Base Class) library. Abstract method of base class force its child class to write the implementation of the all abstract methods defined in base class. If we do not implement the abstract methods of base class in the child class then our code will give error. In the below code method_1 is a abstract method created using @abstractmethod decorator.

Syntax:

from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
class BaseClass(ABC):
		@abstractmethod
		def method_1(self):
                  #statements

Implementation of Data Abstraction in Python

In the below code, we have implemented data abstraction using abstract class and method. Firstly, we import the required modules or classes from abc library then we create a base class ‘Car’ that inherited from ‘ABC’ class that we have imported. Inside base class we create init function, abstract function and non-abstract functions. To declare abstract function printDetails we use “@abstractmethod” decorator. After that we create child class hatchback and suv. Since, these child classes inherited from abstract class so, we need to write the implementation of all abstract function declared in the base class. We write the implementation of abstract method in both child class. We create an instance of a child class and call the printDetails method. In this way we can achieve the data abstraction.
Example:

from abc import ABC, abstractmethod 
class Car(ABC): 
	def __init__(self, brand, model, year): 
		self.brand = brand 
		self.model = model 
		self.year = year 
        @abstractmethod
 		def printDetails(self): 
		pass
	def accelerate(self): 
		print("speed up ...") 
	def break_applied(self): 
		print("Car stop") 
class Hatchback(Car): 
	def printDetails(self): 
		print("Brand:", self.brand); 
		print("Model:", self.model); 
		print("Year:", self.year); 
	def Sunroof(self): 
		print("Not having this feature") 
class Suv(Car): 
	def printDetails(self): 
		print("Brand:", self.brand); 
		print("Model:", self.model); 
		print("Year:", self.year); 
	def Sunroof(self): 
		print("Available") 
    car1 = Hatchback("Maruti", "Alto", "2022"); 
car1.printDetails() 
car1.accelerate() 

OUtput: Brand: Maruti

Model: Alto

Year: 2022

speed up ...

Encapsulation

Encapsulation is one of the fundamental concepts in object-oriented programming (OOP). It describes the idea of wrapping data and the methods that work on data within one unit. This puts restrictions on accessing variables and methods directly and can prevent the accidental modification of data. To prevent accidental change, an object’s variable can only be changed by an object’s method. Those types of variables are known as private variables.

A class is an example of encapsulation as it encapsulates all the data that is memberfunctions, variables, etc. The goal of information hiding is to ensure that an object’s state is always valid by controlling access to attributes that are hidden from the outside world.

Encapsulation in Python

 class=Methods + Variables

Encapsulating the methods and variables in class i.e that methods and variables are related and they are written in a class.Encapsulation reduces the code and one can create any number of objects and use them.

Protected Members

Protected members (in C++ and JAVA) are those members of the class that cannot be accessed outside the class but can be accessed from within the class and its subclasses. To accomplish this in Python, just follow the convention by prefixing the name of the member by a single underscore “_”. Example:

class Base: 
	def __init__(self): 
		# Protected member 
		self._a = 2
class Derived(Base): 
	def __init__(self): 
		Base.__init__(self) 
		print("Calling protected member of base class: ", self._a) 
		self._a = 3
		print("Calling modified protected member outside class: ", 
		self._a) 
obj1 = Derived() 
obj2 = Base() 
print("Accessing protected member of obj1: ", obj1._a) 
print("Accessing protected member of obj2: ", obj2._a) 

output: Calling protected member of base class: 2

Calling modified protected member outside class: 3

Accessing protected member of obj1: 3

Accessing protected member of obj2: 2

Private Member

Private members are similar to protected members, the difference is that the class members declared private should neither be accessed outside the class nor by any base class. In Python, there is no existence of Private instance variables that cannot be accessed except inside a class. However, to define a private member prefix the member name with double underscore “__”.

Example:

class Base: 
	def __init__(self): 
		self.a = "GeeksforGeeks"
		self.__c = "GeeksforGeeks" 
class Derived(Base): 
	def __init__(self): 
		Base.__init__(self) 
		print("Calling private member of base class: ") 
		print(self.__c) 
obj1 = Base() 
print(obj1.a) 

output:

It will raises error because private members cannot be used outside the class even not for derived classes

Inheritence

• Inheritance allows us to define a class that inherits all the methods and properties from another class.

• Parent class is the class being inherited from, also called base class.

• Child class is the class that inherits from another class, also called derived class.

Creating of Parent Class

Any class can be a parent class, so the syntax is the same as creating any other class. Example:

class Person:
  def __init__(self, fname, lname):
    self.firstname = fname
    self.lastname = lname

  def printname(self):
    print(self.firstname, self.lastname)
x = Person("John", "Doe")
x.printname()

output:

John Doe

Creating of Child Class

To create a class that inherits the functionality from another class, send the parent class as a parameter when creating the child class: Example:

  class Student(Person):
     pass

Super Function

Python also has a super() function that will make the child class inherit all the methods and properties from its parent:

Example:

class Person:
  def __init__(self, fname, lname):
    self.firstname = fname
    self.lastname = lname

  def printname(self):
    print(self.firstname, self.lastname)

class Student(Person):
  def __init__(self, fname, lname):
    super().__init__(fname, lname)

x = Student("Mike", "Olsen")
x.printname()

output:

Mike Olsen

Types of Inheritances

Types of Inheritance depend upon the number of child and parent classes involved. There are four types of inheritance in Python. They are:

• Single Inheritance
• Multiple Inheritance
• Multilevel Inheritance
• Hierarchical Inheritance
• Hybrid Inheritance Single Inheritance

Single inheritance enables a derived class to inherit properties from a single parent class, thus enabling code reusability and the addition of new features to existing code.

                        **Single Inheritance**
                                class A
                                   |
                                   V
                                class B 

Example:

class Parent:
	def func1(self):
		print("This function is in parent class.")

class Child(Parent):
	def func2(self):
		print("This function is in child class.")

object = Child()
object.func1()
object.func2()

output:

This function is in parent class.

This function is in child class.

Multiple Inheritance

When a class can be derived from more than one base class this type of inheritance is called multiple inheritances. In multiple inheritances, all the features of the base classes are inherited into the derived class.

                    **Multiple Inheritance**
                      class A      Class B
                          \          /
                           \        /
                             Class C

Example :

class Mother:
	mothername = ""
  def mother(self):
		print(self.mothername)
class Father:
	fathername = ""
  def father(self):
		print(self.fathername)
class Son(Mother, Father):
	def parents(self):
		print("Father :", self.fathername)
		print("Mother :", self.mothername)
s1 = Son()
s1.fathername = "RAM"
s1.mothername = "SITA"
s1.parents()

output:

Father : RAM

Mother : SITA

Multilevel Inheritance

In multilevel inheritance, features of the base class and the derived class are further inherited into the new derived class. This is similar to a relationship representing a child and a grandfather.

                         **Multilevel Inheritance**
                                 class A
                                    |
                                    V
                                 class B
                                    |
                                    V
                                 class C     

Example:

class Grandfather:

	def __init__(self, grandfathername):
		self.grandfathername = grandfathername

class Father(Grandfather):
	def __init__(self, fathername, grandfathername):
		self.fathername = fathername

		# invoking constructor of Grandfather class
		Grandfather.__init__(self, grandfathername)

class Son(Father):
	def __init__(self, sonname, fathername, grandfathername):
		self.sonname = sonname
		Father.__init__(self, fathername, grandfathername)

	def print_name(self):
		print('Grandfather name :', self.grandfathername)
		print("Father name :", self.fathername)
		print("Son name :", self.sonname)
s1 = Son('Prince', 'Rampal', 'Lal mani')
print(s1.grandfathername)
s1.print_name()

output:

Lal mani

Grandfather name : Lal mani

Father name : Rampal

Son name : Prince

Polymorphism

The word polymorphism means having many forms. In programming, polymorphism means the same function name (but different signatures) being used for different types. The key difference is the data types and number of arguments used in function.

Example of python built in functions:

#len() being used for a string
print(len("geeks"))

#len() being used for a list
print(len([10, 20, 30]))

output:

5

3

Polymorphism with class methods:

Polymorphism with class methods means different classes may have the methods with same method names.So here the polymorphism applies when the object is created for a particular class,the method related to that is invoked.

Example:

class India():
	def capital(self):
		print("New Delhi is the capital of India.")

	def language(self):
		print("Hindi is the most widely spoken language of India.")

	def type(self):
		print("India is a developing country.")

class USA():
	def capital(self):
		print("Washington, D.C. is the capital of USA.")

	def language(self):
		print("English is the primary language of USA.")

	def type(self):
		print("USA is a developed country.")

obj_ind = India()
obj_usa = USA()
for country in (obj_ind, obj_usa):
	country.capital()
	country.language()
	country.type()

Output:

New Delhi is the capital of India.

Hindi is the most widely spoken language of India.

India is a developing country.

Washington, D.C. is the capital of USA.

English is the primary language of USA.

USA is a developed country.

Polymorphism with Inheritance

In Python, Polymorphism lets us define methods in the child class that have the same name as the methods in the parent class. In inheritance, the child class inherits the methods from the parent class. However, it is possible to modify a method in a child class that it has inherited from the parent class. This is particularly useful in cases where the method inherited from the parent class doesn’t quite fit the child class. In such cases, we re-implement the method in the child class. This process of re-implementing a method in the child class is known as Method Overriding.

Example:

class Bird:
def intro(self):
	print("There are many types of birds.")
	
def flight(self):
	print("Most of the birds can fly but some cannot.")

class sparrow(Bird):
def flight(self):
	print("Sparrows can fly.")
	
class ostrich(Bird):
def flight(self):
	print("Ostriches cannot fly.")
	
obj_bird = Bird()
obj_spr = sparrow()
obj_ost = ostrich()

obj_bird.intro()
obj_bird.flight()

obj_spr.intro()
obj_spr.flight()

obj_ost.intro()
obj_ost.flight()

ouput:

There are many types of birds.

Most of the birds can fly but some cannot.

There are many types of birds.

Sparrows can fly.

There are many types of birds.

Ostriches cannot fly.