OOP & classes
Classes, instances, methods, dataclasses, and object-oriented design in Python.
Compute Derived Fields with @dataclass __post_init__ in Python
Compute derived fields like distance, area, and perimeter automatically in Python dataclasses using __post_init__ and field(init=False).
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from math import sqrt
@dataclass
class Point:
x: float
y: float
distance: float = field(init=False)
def __post_init__(self):
self.distance = sqrt(self.x ** 2 + self.y ** 2)
@dataclass
class Rectangle:
width: float
height: float
area: flo…
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 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 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 merge dictionaries by a key in Python with a class
This code defines a DataMerger class that collects dictionary records and merges them by a specified key, combining fields from multiple records with the same key.
class DataMerger:
def __init__(self):
self.records = []
def add_record(self, record):
if isinstance(record, dict):
self.records.append(record)
else:
raise TypeError("Record must be a dictionary")
def merge_by_key(self, key):
merged = {}
for …
Validate dataclass fields with __post_init__ in Python
Add custom validation to a Python dataclass inside __post_init__, raising ValueError or TypeError for invalid field values.
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Optional
@dataclass
class Product:
name: str
price: float
quantity: int = 1
category: Optional[str] = None
def __post_init__(self):
if not self.name or not isinstance(self.name, str):
raise ValueError("name must be a…
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