6.2. Object-Oriented Programming in Python: Classes and Objects in Python

Página 21

Object Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm that is based on the concept of "objects". Objects are instances of classes, which can contain attributes and methods. Python, being an object-oriented language, allows the creation of classes and objects. Let's explore more about classes and objects in Python.

Classes in Python

A class is a model for creating objects (a particular instance of a class), and is an abstraction that represents a group of objects with similar properties and behaviors. For example, if we have a class called "Car", it might have properties like "color", "model", "year" and behaviors like "accelerate", "brake", "turn".

In Python, the syntax for creating a class is as follows:

class ClassName:
    # class attributes
    # class methods

For example, a Car class can be created as follows:

class Car:
    def __init__(self, color, model, year):
        self.color = color
        self.model = model
        self.year = year

    def accelerate(self):
        print("The car is accelerating")

    def brake(self):
        print("The car is braking")

Here, the __init__ function is a special method, known as a constructor, which is automatically called whenever a new instance of the class is created. It initializes the class attributes.

Objects in Python

An object is an instance of a class. An object of a class can access the class's attributes and methods. An object is created by calling the class name followed by parentheses.

For example, we can create an object of the Car class as follows:

my_car = Car("red", "sedan", 2020)

Here, "my_car" is an object of the Car class. We can access the object's attributes and methods as follows:

print(my_car.color) # prints: red
my_car.accelerate() # prints: The car is accelerating

In summary, object-oriented programming in Python involves creating classes that define behaviors and characteristics and creating objects that are instances of those classes. OOP makes code easier to organize and code easier to maintain and understand.

Next page of the Free Ebook:

226.3. Object-Oriented Programming in Python: Inheritance and Polymorphism in Python