Why do attribute references act like this with Python inheritance
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title: understanding attribute references and python inheritance
introduction:
python's object-oriented programming (oop) paradigm is built on the concept of inheritance, where classes can inherit attributes and methods from their parent classes. this feature allows for code reuse and the creation of hierarchies of classes. however, attribute references in python can sometimes behave unexpectedly when dealing with inheritance. in this tutorial, we will explore why attribute references act the way they do in python inheritance and provide code examples to illustrate the concepts.
in python, when an attribute is referenced on an object, python looks for the attribute in the following order:
let's demonstrate this with a code example:
in this example, when we access child_obj.x, python first looks in the child class for the attribute x. since it's not found in child, python then looks in the parent class, where it finds x with a value of 10.
the super() function in python is used to call methods and access attributes from the parent class. it helps maintain a clean and consistent way of interacting with the parent class, especially when there are multiple levels of inheritance.
here's an example:
in this example, super().x is used to access the x attribute from the parent class parent. this is a cleaner approach than directly referencing parent.x.
in python, child classes can override attributes and methods from their parent classes. when an attribute is overridden in a child class, the child's attribute takes precedence over the parent's attribute.
in this example, the x attribute in the child class overrides the x attribute from the parent class.
in python, attribute references in inheritance follow a specific order: instance, class, and then the method resolution order (mro) of base classes. you can use the super() function to access attributes and methods from parent classes in a clean and consistent manner. additionally, child classes can override attributes and m ...