Python Object Oriented Programming: Attributes, Classes, Features and More

Python is a multi-paradigm programming language. Meaning, it supports different programming approaches. One of the popular approaches to solve a programming problem is by creating objects. This is known as Object-Oriented Programming (OOP).

Java and Scala are also OOP languages. At their core, every instance in these languages is an object, and every object has attributes and behavior.

Python Attributes

Let’s say we have an object: a BMW car. Attributes of this car include the year of manufacture, maximum speed, the number of airbags, etc. The behavior of the car could be the movement of the speedometer, change in speed, etc. 

Python OOP Classes

A class is a blueprint for the object. Each object is an instance of some class. It is a collection of similar objects.

PyCharm IDE is used here to implement the code. Learn how to install PyCharm and code with it in the Simplilearn PyCharm tutorial. In the video, you’ll learn how to create new projects, add files, and open existing projects. You'll also learn how to modify the look of the UI and set the interpreter, and run a few codes on Pycharm to visualize plots, data frames, and the stored variables.

Below is a simple example of how to define a class and create an instance of that class.

class car: #Defining a class

   def getSpeed(self):

       print("155 mph")

BMW = car()#Creating an instance of class

FORD = car()

car.getSpeed(BMW)

car.getSpeed(FORD)

BMW.getSpeed()

FORD.getSpeed()

Self

For creating an instance of any class using Python Object Oriented programming, use braces (curly brackets) along with the class name. In this case, the self is taken as a reference variable, which in turn points to the current class object. 

As a rule, self is the first argument in the function definition. However, usage of self is optional in case of the function call. All classes create objects, and subsequently, all objects contain within them, characteristics referred to as attributes.

__init__()

We use the __init__() method in Python Object Oriented Programming language to initialize the initial attributes of an object by assigning them their default state or value. This method necessarily needs at least one argument, along with the self variable pointing to the object itself.

class car: 

   def __init__(self, year, speed):

       self.year=year

       self.speed=speed

   def getSpeed(self):

       print("maximum speed is: ",self.speed)

BMW = car(2018, 155)

FORD = car(2016, 140)

BMW.getSpeed()

FORD.getSpeed()

Encapsulation

A key aspect of Python object oriented programming is encapsulation, used for restricting access to variables and methods. 

In encapsulation, the code and data are wrapped together within a single unit from being modified by accident. In the code below, all the functions defined in the class are encapsulated and cannot be changed.

class car:

  def __init__(self, year, speed):

      self.year=year

      self.speed=speed

  def getSpeed(self):

      print("maximum speed is: ",self.speed)

  def setSpeed(self,speed):

      self.speed=speed

BMW = car(2018, 155)

FORD = car(2016, 140)

BMW.getSpeed()

BMW.setSpeed(143)

BMW.getSpeed()

FORD.getSpeed()

Inheritance

Inheritance is a critical feature of Python OOP language. It refers to defining a new class with little or no modification to an existing class. The new class is a derived (or child) class and the one from which it inherits is called the base (or parent) class.

In this case, Sedan and SUV are the two child classes that are inheriting the properties of the parent class.

Polymorphism

Polymorphism is a feature in Python object oriented programming that lets you use the same function in multiple ways.

In the above example, we have created an instance of both child classes looping through the objects. By doing this, we polymorphed the definition to do two different things depending on what our child class is.

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Master Python Today

This tutorial demonstrates how to do OOP in Python object oriented programming, covering the concept of objects and classes, and how to define and create them. You should by now have an idea about the different features of OOP such as inheritance, encapsulation, and polymorphism. 

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Go through this Simplilearn video on “Python OOPS Concepts” delivered by our Software Development experts that covers the concepts of object and classes, and how to define and create them.