OOP & classes
Classes, instances, methods, dataclasses, and object-oriented design in Python.
Add property getter setter validation in Python
Shows how to use @property with a setter to validate values before assigning them in a Python class.
class Temperature:
def __init__(self, celsius=0):
self._celsius = celsius # Use underscore to avoid recursion
@property
def celsius(self):
"""Getter returns the stored value."""
return self._celsius
@celsius.setter
def celsius(self, value):
"""Setter valid…Composition over Inheritance: How to Build a Wallet Account in Python
Demonstrates composition by wrapping a WalletAccount class in an AuditedWallet decorator-like class to add behavior without changing the original class.
class WalletAccount:
def __init__(self, owner, balance=0.0):
self.owner = owner
self.balance = balance
def deposit(self, amount):
if amount <= 0:
raise ValueError("Deposit must be positive")
self.balance += amount
return self.balance
def withdraw(self, …How to Build a Class Method Alternative Constructor from Dict in Python
Use a classmethod alternative constructor to build a Book instance from a dictionary with sensible defaults.
class Book:
def __init__(self, title, author, pages):
self.title = title
self.author = author
self.pages = pages
@classmethod
def from_dict(cls, data):
"""Alternative constructor that builds a Book from a dictionary."""
return cls(
title=data["title"],
…How to Build a Context Manager Class in Python
Create a reusable context manager class that opens and automatically closes resources using the with statement.
class FileResource:
def __init__(self, filename, mode='r'):
self.filename = filename
self.mode = mode
self.file = None
def __enter__(self):
self.file = open(self.filename, self.mode)
return self.file
def __exit__(self, exc_type, exc_value, traceback):
if se…How to Build a Data Helper Class in Python with OOP
Create a beginner-friendly Python class that loads CSV data, filters records by field, and counts entries using object-oriented programming.
class DataHelper:
"""A beginner-friendly OOP helper for handling simple datasets."""
def __init__(self, filename):
self.filename = filename
self.data = self._load_data()
def _load_data(self):
"""Load data from a CSV file into a list of dictionaries."""
import csv
…How to Build a Fluent Interface with the Builder Pattern in Python
Learn to implement a fluent builder pattern in Python by chaining methods that return self, enabling readable object construction.
class Pizza:
def __init__(self):
self.size = None
self.toppings = []
self.crust = None
def set_size(self, size):
self.size = size
return self
def add_topping(self, topping):
self.toppings.append(topping)
return self
def set_crust(self, crust):
…How to Build an In-Memory CRUD Repository Class in Python
Define a Python Repository class that stores objects in a dictionary and supports create, read, update, delete, and list operations.
class Repository:
def __init__(self):
self._data = {}
def create(self, key, value):
self._data[key] = value
return key
def read(self, key):
return self._data.get(key)
def update(self, key, value):
if key not in self._data:
raise KeyError(f"Key '{ke…How to Call a Parent Class __init__ with super() in Python
Shows how to chain __init__ calls through a class hierarchy using super(), so each class sets its own attributes while reusing the parent's initialization logic.
class Animal:
def __init__(self, name, species):
self.name = name
self.species = species
print(f"Animal init: {self.name}, {self.species}")
class Mammal(Animal):
def __init__(self, name, species, fur_color):
super().__init__(name, species)
self.fur_color = fur_color
…How to Compare Dataclass Instances by Specific Fields in Python
Use @dataclass(order=True) with field(compare=False) to control which fields determine ordering and equality between instances.
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Any
@dataclass(order=True)
class Person:
name: str = field(compare=False)
age: int
height_cm: float
priority: int = field(compare=False, default=0)
def __repr__(self):
return f"Person(name={self.name!r}, age={self.age}, height={s…How to Convert Data Types in Python with a Helper Class
This code defines a beginner-friendly OOP helper class for common data conversions like string to list, list to dict, JSON string, and CSV row, with an advanced subclass for numeric casting.
class DataConverter:
"""A beginner-friendly helper class for common data conversions."""
def __init__(self, data):
self.data = data
def to_list(self):
"""Convert string data (comma-separated) to a list."""
if isinstance(self.data, str):
return [item.strip() for…How to Copy Class Instances in Python: Shallow vs Deep Copy
Use copy.copy and copy.deepcopy to clone class instances, showing how nested objects are shared or duplicated.
import copy
class Config:
def __init__(self):
self.settings = {"theme": "dark", "language": "en"}
if __name__ == "__main__":
original = Config()
shallow_copy = copy.copy(original)
deep_copy = copy.deepcopy(original)
shallow_copy.settings["theme"] = "light"
deep_copy.settings["them…How to Count Items in a Python Class
A beginner-friendly Inventory class that stores item quantities in a dictionary and provides add, remove, count, and summary methods.
class Inventory:
def __init__(self):
self.items = {}
def add(self, item, quantity=1):
self.items[item] = self.items.get(item, 0) + quantity
def remove(self, item, quantity=1):
if item not in self.items:
raise ValueError(f"{item} not in inventory")
self.items[it…How to Create Immutable Data Classes with frozen=True in Python
Create immutable data classes in Python using @dataclass(frozen=True) to prevent attribute modifications after instantiation.
from dataclasses import dataclass
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class Point:
x: float
y: float
def distance_from_origin(self) -> float:
return (self.x**2 + self.y**2) ** 0.5
if __name__ == "__main__":
p = Point(3.0, 4.0)
print(p)
print(f"Distance from origin: {p.distance_from_origin():.2f}…How to Create Static Methods in a Python Class
Shows how to define and call static methods inside a class using @staticmethod, with utility functions that don't need instance or class state.
class MathUtils:
"""Utility class demonstrating static methods."""
@staticmethod
def add(a, b):
"""Return the sum of two numbers."""
return a + b
@staticmethod
def multiply(a, b):
"""Return the product of two numbers."""
return a * b
@staticmethod
…How to Create a Data Formatter Class in Python
A beginner-friendly helper class to format lists, dictionaries, and stored records into readable strings.
class DataFormatter:
"""Helper class for beginners to format common data types."""
def __init__(self, name="data"):
self.name = name
self.records = []
def add_record(self, key, value):
"""Add a key-value record to the formatter."""
self.records.append({"key": key, …How to Create a Data Helper Class in Python with OOP
A complete OOP example with User, Post, and Blog classes that manage data relationships and provide clear helper methods.
class User:
def __init__(self, name, email):
self.name = name
self.email = email
self.posts = []
def create_post(self, title, content):
post = Post(title, content, self)
self.posts.append(post)
return post
def get_post_count(self):
return len(self.p…How to Create an Immutable Money Class in Python with dataclasses
Define a frozen dataclass Money that holds an amount and currency, enforces non-negative amounts, and supports safe addition across matching currencies.
from dataclasses import dataclass
@dataclass(frozen=True)
class Money:
amount: float
currency: str = "USD"
def __post_init__(self) -> None:
if self.amount < 0:
raise ValueError("amount must be non-negative")
def add(self, other: "Money") -> "Money":
if self.currency != o…How to Create an Iterable Class with __iter__ and __next__ in Python
Build custom iterable classes in Python by implementing the __iter__ and __next__ dunder methods to yield items on demand.
class EvenNumbers:
def __init__(self, limit):
self.limit = limit
self.current = 0
def __iter__(self):
return self
def __next__(self):
if self.current >= self.limit:
raise StopIteration
result = self.current
self.current += 2
return resul…How to Define Dataclass Field Defaults in Python
Implement a Python dataclass with default values for simple fields and default factories for mutable collections.
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import List
@dataclass
class Product:
name: str
price: float = 0.0
quantity: int = 0
tags: List[str] = field(default_factory=list)
metadata: dict = field(default_factory=dict)
if __name__ == "__main__":
p1 = Product("Laptop", 999.99, 5)
…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 Rich Comparison Ordering in Python Classes
This code demonstrates how to implement rich comparison operators (like <, <=, >, >=, ==, !=) in a Python class by defining __lt__ and __eq__, enabling sorting and ordering of custom objects.
class Task:
def __init__(self, priority, name):
self.priority = priority
self.name = name
def __lt__(self, other):
if not isinstance(other, Task):
return NotImplemented
return self.priority < other.priority
def __eq__(self, other):
if not isinstance(oth…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()
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OOP & classes — Python code examples
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