Defining Classes and Creating Objects in Python

This tutorial on Defining Classes and Creating Objects in Python will provide a comprehensive introduction to object-oriented programming concepts in Python.

Updated March 9, 2023

Hello future Python wizard, welcome to Python Help!

Today we’re going to talk about defining classes and creating objects in Python.

In Python, classes are the foundation of object-oriented programming (OOP). A class is like a blueprint for creating objects that can hold data and methods. Defining classes in Python is easy, and it allows you to organize your code into reusable, modular components. In this tutorial, we’ll introduce you to the basics of defining classes and creating objects in Python, and provide examples of how to use them in your own code.

Defining Classes

To define a class in Python, you use the class keyword, followed by the name of the class and a colon. The body of the class contains the data and methods that define its behavior.

class Dog:
    def __init__(self, name, breed):
        self.name = name
        self.breed = breed

    def bark(self):
        print("Woof!")

In this example, we define a Dog class with an __init__ method, which initializes the name and breed attributes of the object. We also define a bark method, which prints “Woof!” to the console.

Creating Objects

To create an object of a class, you use the class name followed by parentheses, like this:

dog = Dog("Rufus", "Labrador Retriever")

This creates a Dog object with the name “Rufus” and breed “Labrador Retriever”.

Accessing Attributes and Methods

Once you’ve created an object, you can access its attributes and methods using dot notation.

print(dog.name) # outputs "Rufus"
print(dog.breed) # outputs "Labrador Retriever"
dog.bark() # outputs "Woof!"

In this example, we access the name and breed attributes of the dog object using dot notation, and call its bark method.

Class Inheritance

In Python, you can create a new class by inheriting the properties and methods of an existing class. The new class is called a subclass, and the existing class is called the superclass.

class Labrador(Dog):
    def fetch(self):
        print("I am fetching!")


labrador = Labrador("Max", "Labrador Retriever")
labrador.bark() # outputs "Woof!"
labrador.fetch() # outputs "I am fetching!"

In this example, we define a Labrador class that inherits from the Dog class. The Labrador class has an additional method, fetch, that is specific to the Labrador breed.

Conclusion