OOP & classes
Classes, instances, methods, dataclasses, and object-oriented design in Python.
How to Define a Simple Class with __init__ and __repr__ in Python
Defines a Person class with __init__ to store name and age, and __repr__ to give a readable string representation.
class Person:
def __init__(self, name, age):
self.name = name
self.age = age
def __repr__(self):
return f"Person(name='{self.name}', age={self.age})"
if __name__ == "__main__":
p1 = Person("Alice", 30)
p2 = Person("Bob", 25)
print(p1)
print(p2)How to Define a Simple Python Class with __init__ and __repr__
Define a basic Python class with an __init__ method to set instance attributes and a __repr__ method for a readable representation of objects.
class Person:
def __init__(self, name, age):
self.name = name
self.age = age
def __repr__(self):
return f"Person(name={self.name!r}, age={self.age!r})"
if __name__ == "__main__":
person = Person("Alice", 30)
print(person)How to Implement Iterator Protocol on a Custom Class in Python
Create a custom iterable class by defining the __iter__ and __next__ methods, enabling use in for loops and list conversions.
class Countdown:
"""Iterator that counts down from start to 0."""
def __init__(self, start):
self.start = start
self.current = start
def __iter__(self):
return self
def __next__(self):
if self.current < 0:
raise StopIteration
value = self.current
…How to Implement a Queue Class in Python Using deque
Build a FIFO queue class in Python backed by the collections.deque container with enqueue, dequeue, peek, and size methods.
from collections import deque
class Queue:
def __init__(self):
self._items = deque()
def enqueue(self, item):
self._items.append(item)
def dequeue(self):
if self.is_empty():
raise IndexError("dequeue from empty queue")
return self._items.popleft()
…How to Implement a Singleton Class in Python
This code demonstrates a classic Singleton pattern in Python by overriding __new__ to ensure only one instance of the class is created, even when instantiated multiple times.
class Singleton:
_instance = None
def __new__(cls):
if cls._instance is None:
cls._instance = super().__new__(cls)
return cls._instance
def __init__(self):
self.value = 0
if __name__ == "__main__":
s1 = Singleton()
s2 = Singleton()
s1.value = 42
print…How to Implement a Stack Class in Python
A complete Stack class implemented with a Python list, featuring push, pop, peek, is_empty, size, and a readable string representation.
class Stack:
def __init__(self):
self._items = []
def push(self, item):
"""Add an item to the top of the stack."""
self._items.append(item)
def pop(self):
"""Remove and return the top item. Raises IndexError if empty."""
if self.is_empty():
raise IndexE…How to Make a Python Class Hashable with __eq__ and __hash__
Define __eq__ and __hash__ together on a Python class so equal instances share the same hash and work correctly in sets and dictionary keys.
class Point:
def __init__(self, x, y):
self.x = x
self.y = y
def __eq__(self, other):
if not isinstance(other, Point):
return NotImplemented
return self.x == other.x and self.y == other.y
def __hash__(self):
return hash((self.x, self.y))
def __repr…How to Sort Data in Python with a Class Helper
This beginner-friendly class wraps the built-in sorted() function to sort numbers, strings ignoring case, and dictionaries by a specified key.
class DataSorter:
def __init__(self, data):
self.data = data
def sort_numbers(self, reverse=False):
return sorted(self.data, reverse=reverse)
def sort_strings_ignore_case(self, reverse=False):
return sorted(self.data, key=str.lower, reverse=reverse)
def sort_dicts_by_key(self…How to Use IntEnum Arithmetic for Priority Levels in Python
Demonstrates Python IntEnum arithmetic for priority levels, showing how enum members behave like integers in calculations and comparisons.
from enum import IntEnum
class Priority(IntEnum):
LOW = 1
MEDIUM = 5
HIGH = 10
CRITICAL = 20
if __name__ == "__main__":
current = Priority.MEDIUM
boosted = current + 3
lowered = current - 2
doubled = current * 2
print(f"Current: {current} ({current.value})")
print(f"Boosted (…How to Validate User Input with a Dataclass in Python
A dataclass stores name, age, and email, and a validator class checks each field, returning a dictionary of boolean results.
from dataclasses import dataclass
@dataclass
class UserInput:
name: str
age: int
email: str
def is_valid_name(self) -> bool:
return bool(self.name.strip()) and len(self.name.strip()) >= 2
def is_valid_age(self) -> bool:
return isinstance(self.age, int) and 0 < self.age < 150
…Parse CSV Data with a Python Class
Encapsulate CSV file loading and column/row access methods in a reusable DataParser class for beginners.
class DataParser:
def __init__(self, file_path):
self.file_path = file_path
self.data = []
def load_data(self):
with open(self.file_path, 'r') as file:
for line in file:
row = line.strip().split(',')
self.data.append(row)
return self.…Python Adapter Class: Wrap Legacy Interface
Convert a legacy system's interface into a modern one using the Adapter pattern in Python, translating method calls and data formats.
class LegacySystem:
"""Legacy interface - old method names and parameter format."""
def query_employee_info(self, emp_id, emp_name):
return f"Legacy: {emp_id} - {emp_name}"
def update_employee_department(self, emp_id, department_code):
return f"Legacy: Updated {emp_id} to dept {department_…Python Factory Method: Create Shapes by Type String
A factory method that maps a type string to a concrete shape class and returns an instance, with runtime error handling.
class Shape:
def draw(self):
raise NotImplementedError
class Circle(Shape):
def draw(self):
return "Drawing a circle"
class Square(Shape):
def draw(self):
return "Drawing a square"
class Triangle(Shape):
def draw(self):
return "Drawing a triangle"
class ShapeFact…Python object equality: id vs value comparison
Demonstrates the difference between default identity comparison and custom equality, with a value-based class implementing __eq__ and __hash__.
import copy
class IdOnly:
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name
class ValueId:
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name
def __eq__(self, other):
return isinstance(other, ValueId) and self.name == other.name
def __hash__(self):
return hash(self.name)
def…Slots Class: How to Reduce Memory Usage in Python
Use __slots__ to prevent dynamic attribute creation and reduce per-instance memory overhead, while keeping methods intact.
class SlotsDemo:
__slots__ = ("name", "age", "email")
def __init__(self, name, age, email):
self.name = name
self.age = age
self.email = email
def describe(self):
return f"{self.name}, {self.age}, {self.email}"
if __name__ == "__main__":
instance = SlotsDemo("Alice", …Browse by section
Each section groups closely related Python snippets.
OOP & classes — Python code examples
What you will find here
This page collects oop & classes snippets — short, copy-ready Python you can paste into our free online IDE and run without installing anything. Each sample includes a plain-English explanation and the full source code.
Samples vs tutorials and challenges
Samples are quick reference — one concept per page. For step-by-step teaching, use our Python tutorials. To test yourself, try quizzes or coding challenges. Clean up style with the Python formatter.