Core Python: Part 5

Check out the previous part: Core Python: Part 4

We have procedural and object-oriented as two categories in structured programming. The functions used in programs are procedural in nature that do not hold their own data or remember their state but are defined once and never modified. Object-oriented programming is an alternative to this that has an object representing a concept or a physical entity. An object will have its own data (attributes) and functions to manipulate the data.

1. Inheritance

   A base class (or parent class) is a class from which other classes inherit properties and behaviors. It defines the common attributes and methods that are shared by its derived classes. A derived class (or subclass) is a class that inherits attributes and methods from a base class. An abstract class is a class that cannot be instantiated on its own and is meant to be subclassed by other classes. Abstract classes are useful for creating a consistent interface across multiple subclasses while enforcing certain behaviors.

    # Base class Animal
    class Animal:
        def speak(self):
            pass  # Placeholder for subclasses to implement
   
    # Derived class Dog that extends class Animal that overrides method speak
    class Dog(Animal):
        def speak(self):
            return "Woof!"
   
    # Derived class Dog that extends class Animal that overrides method speak
    class Cat(Animal):
        def speak(self):
            return "Meow!"
   
    # abstract class using the abc module
    from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
   
    class Shape(ABC):
        @abstractmethod
        def area(self):
            pass
   

2. An instance of a class - object

    class Animal:
        def __init__(self, species):
            self.species = species
   
    # Derived class from Animal
    class Dog(Animal):
        def __init__(self, species, breed):
            # __init__ is called dunder method
            super().__init__(species)  # Calling parent class constructor
            self.breed = breed
   
    # Creating instances of the Dog class
    dog = Dog("Canine", "Labrador")
    print(dog.species)  # Output: Canine
    print(dog.breed)    # Output: Labrador
   

3. Encapsulation

   The primary goal of encapsulation is to control access to the internal state of an object, ensuring that the data is not directly manipulated from outside the object. The __age attribute is encapsulated using the double underscore (__) prefix. Direct access to it from outside the class is prevented. Instead, getter and setter methods (get_age() and set_age()) are provided to access and modify the attribute, respectively.

    class Student:
        def __init__(self, name, age):
            self.name = name
            self.__age = age  # Encapsulated attribute
   
        def get_age(self):
            return self.__age
   
        def set_age(self, age):
            if age > 0:
                self.__age = age
   
    student = Student("Alice", 20)
    print(student.name)        # Accessing public attribute directly
    print(student.get_age())  # Accessing encapsulated attribute using method
   
    student.set_age(22)       # Modifying encapsulated attribute using method
    print(student.get_age())  # Output: 22
   

4. Polymorphism

   It enables methods to be implemented in different ways in various subclasses while adhering to a common interface. Hence objects of different classes behave as objects of a common base class.

   Functions that work with several types are called polymorphic. Polymorphism can facilitate code reuse. For example, the built-in function sum, which adds the elements of a sequence, works as long as the elements of the sequence support addition

    class Shape:
        def area(self):
            pass
   
    class Circle(Shape):
        def __init__(self, radius):
            self.radius = radius
   
        def area(self):
            return 3.14 * self.radius * self.radius
   
    class Rectangle(Shape):
        def __init__(self, length, width):
            self.length = length
            self.width = width
   
        def area(self):
            return self.length * self.width
   
    def print_area(shape):
        print("Area:", shape.area())
   
    circle = Circle(5)
    rectangle = Rectangle(4, 6)
    print_area(circle)     # Output: Area: 78.5
    print_area(rectangle)  # Output: Area: 24
   

5. Abstraction

   Only Shape will be visible for users who can see that area method exists but cannot see the details of the area method.

    from abc import ABC, abstractmethod
   
    class Shape(ABC):
        @abstractmethod
        def area(self):
            pass
   
    class Circle(Shape):
        def __init__(self, radius):
            self.radius = radius
   
        def area(self):
            return 3.14 * self.radius * self.radius
   
    class Rectangle(Shape):
        def __init__(self, length, width):
            self.length = length
            self.width = width
   
        def area(self):
            return self.length * self.width
   
    circle = Circle(5)
    rectangle = Rectangle(4, 6)
    print(circle.area())     # Output: 78.5
    print(rectangle.area())  # Output: 24
   

6. Overloading

    class MathOperations:
        def add(self, a, b=None):
            if b is None:
                return a
            return a + b
   
    math_ops = MathOperations()
    print(math_ops.add(5))      # Output: 5
    print(math_ops.add(2, 3))   # Output: 5
   
    2 * 2 = 4
    '2' * 2 = '22' # * behaves differentely when datatypes are different
   

7. __str__() and __repr__()

   They are special methods that can be defined in a class to control how instances of that class are represented as strings.

    class Point:
        def __init__(self, x, y):
            self.x = x
            self.y = y
   
        def __repr__(self):
            return f"Point({self.x}, {self.y})"
   
    p = Point(3, 5)
    print(repr(p))  # Output: Point(3, 5)
    print(str(p))  # Output: (3, 5)
   

Check out the next part: Core Python: Part 6