In this Python Classes and Objects we are going to learn about Best Practices & Tips for Python Classes and Objects, so Python is an object oriented language, and it means that classes and objects are central of the language. in this article we want to explore some best practices and tips for Python classes and objects.
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Follow the Naming Conventions
When you want to define a class in Python, it is important to follow the naming conventions. class names should start with capital letter and use CamelCase like this.
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class MyClass: pass |
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Define a Constructor
Constructor is a special method that is called when an object is created. in Python constructor is defined using __init__() method. it is good practice to define a constructor for every class, even if it is empty.
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class MyClass: def __init__(self): pass |
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Use Access Modifiers
Python doesn’t have true access modifiers like other languages do, but you can use conventions to indicate that an attribute or method should be private. prefixing the attribute or method name with an underscore (_) is a common convention.
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class MyClass: def __init__(self): self._my_private_attribute = None def _my_private_method(self): pass |
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Use Properties
Properties are a way to encapsulate attributes and provide controlled access to them. properties allows you to define getter and setter methods for an attribute, and this will enforce constraints or perform other actions when the attribute is accessed.
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class MyClass: def __init__(self): self._my_attribute = None @property def my_attribute(self): return self._my_attribute @my_attribute.setter def my_attribute(self, value): if value < 0: raise ValueError("Value must be greater than zero") self._my_attribute = value |
In the above example we have define my_attribute property that has getter and setter method. setter method checks that the value being set is greater than zero and raises an error if it’s not.
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Use Class Methods and Static Methods
Class methods are methods that are bounded to the class and not instance. they can be used to create new instances of the class or perform other operations that are related to the class. on the other hand static methods are similar to class methods, but they don’t receive any special first argument like self. they are just like regular functions that happen to live in a class namespace.
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class MyClass: _my_class_attribute = None def __init__(self): self._my_instance_attribute = None @classmethod def create_new_instance(cls): new_instance = cls() new_instance._my_instance_attribute = 42 return new_instance @staticmethod def my_static_method(): print("This is a static method") |
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Avoid Mutable Default Arguments
In Python default argument values are evaluated only once when the function is defined, not each time the function is called. this can lead to unexpected behavior when the default argument is mutable.
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class MyClass: def __init__(self, my_list=[]): self.my_list = my_list def add_item(self, item): self.my_list.append(item) c = MyClass() c.add_item("hello") d = MyClass() print(d.my_list) |