I am experimenting with python object orientated programming. Of course I learned about inheritence and so on, but this question is very specific and I couldn't find the answer anywhere yet.
Let's say we have a class class mainClass:. In this class there is a function def func(self):. And within this function func() I want to use two custom classes. Can I and how can I use the first custom class within the second one? (Here's a example)
class custom1:
def func1(self):
#do something
class custom2:
def func2(self):
#call function func1 from class custom1 without creating another instance
class mainClass:
def func(self):
obj1 = custom1()
obj2 = custom2()
obj2.func2()
Like I said I don't want to create a second instance of custom1 within custom2. Only the one in mainClass.
Thanks for your answers :)
what about passing it via the constructor of the first class?
class custom1:
def func1(self):
#do something
class custom2:
def __init__(self, obj1):
self._obj1 = obj1
def func2(self):
self._obj1.func1()
class mainClass:
def func(self):
obj1 = custom1()
obj2 = custom2(obj1)
obj2.func2()
I have a python abstract base class as follows:
class Node(object):
"""
All concrete node classes should inherit from this
"""
__metaclass__ = ABCMeta
def __init__(self, name):
self.name = name
self.inputs = dict()
def add_input(self, key, value=None, d=None):
self.inputs[key] = (d, value)
def bind_input(self):
print "Binding inputs"
#abstractmethod
def run(self):
pass
Now, various derived classes will inherit from this node class and override the run method. It is always the case that bind_input() must be the first thing that should be called in the run method. Currently, for all derived classes the developer has to make sure to first call self.bind_input(). This is not a huge problem per se but out of curiosity is it possible to ensure this somehow from the base class itself that bind_input is called before executing the child object's run?
The usual object-oriented approach is this:
def run(self):
self.bind_input()
return self.do_run()
#abstractmethod
def do_run(self):
pass # override this method
Have your subclasses override the inner method, instead of the outer one.
I'm trying to define self.data inside a class inheriting from a class
class Object():
def __init__(self):
self.data="1234"
class New_Object(Object):
# Code changing self.data here
But I ran into an issue.
class Object():
def __init__(self):
self.data="1234"
So I have the beginning class here, which is imported from elsewhere, and let's say that the class is a universal one so I can't modify the original at all.
In the original, the instance is referred to as "self" inside the class, and it is defined as self inside the definition __init__.
class New_Object(Object):
# Code changing self.data here
So if I wanted to inherit from the class Object, but define self.data inside New_Object, I thought I would have to define __init__ in New_Object, but this overrides the __init__ from New_Object
Is there any way I could do this without copypasting the __init__ from Object?
You use super to call the original implementation.
class New_Object(Object):
def __init__(self):
super(NewObject, self).__init__()
self.info = 'whatever'
That's what super is for:
class NewObject(Object):
def __init__(self):
super(NewObject, self).__init__()
# self.data exists now, and you can modify it if necessary
You can use super().__init__() to call Object.__init__() from New_Object.__init__().
What you would do:
class Object:
def __init__(self):
print("Object init")
self.data = "1234"
class New_Object(Object):
def __init__(self):
print("calling super")
super().__init__()
print("data is now", self.data)
self.data = self.data.split("3")
o = New_Object()
# calling super
# Object init
# data is now 1234
Note that you do not have to give any arguments to super(), as long as you are using Python 3.
The answer is that you call the superclass's __init__ explicitly during the subclass's __init__. This can be done either of two ways:
Object.__init__(self) # requires you to name the superclass explicitly
or
super(NewObject, self).__init__() # requires you to name the subclass explicitly
The latter also requires you to ensure that you're using "new-style" classes: in Python 3 that's always the case, but in Python 2 you must be sure to inherit from the builtin object class. In Python 3 it can actually be expressed even more simply:
super().__init__()
Personally, in most of my code the "disadvantage" of having to name the superclass explicitly is no disadvantage at all, and Object.__init__() lends transparency since it makes it absolutely clear what is being called. This is because most of my code is single-inheritance only. The super route comes into its own when you have multiple inheritance. See What does 'super' do in Python?
Python 2 example:
class Object(object):
def __init__(self):
self.data = "1234"
class NewObject:
def __init__(self):
# subclass-specific stuff
super(NewObject, self).__init__()
# more subclass-specific stuff
I know this question might be pointless but there is a reason why I am looking to do it this way. I want to call something exactly opposite to super()
class A(object):
def use_attack(self, damage, passive, spells):
#do stuff with passed parameters
#return something
def use_spell(self, name , enemy_hp):
#other code
if name == 'Enrage':
#call child method use_attack right here
class B(A):
def use_attack(self):
#bunch of code here
return super(B, self).use_attack(damage, passive, spells)
def use_spell(self, name , enemy_hp):
return super(B , self).use_attack(name ,enemy_hp)
b = B()
b.use_spell('Enrage', 100)
I have a bunch of code in class B's use_attack() method that I would not like to replicate in the parent method of use_spell() .
I would like to call the child method use_attack() in the line indicated.
I have a bunch of code in class B's use_attack() method that I would not like to replicate in the parent method of use_spell() .
Then factor that code out into a method on the parent class. This is exactly what inheritance is for. Children inherit code from parents, not the other way around.
From the python docs: "The mro attribute of the type lists the method resolution search order used by both getattr() and super()"
https://docs.python.org/3/library/functions.html#super
This should help shed some light on Inheritance and Method Resolution Order (mro).
class Foo(object):
def __init__(self):
print('Foo init called')
def call_child_method(self):
self.child_method()
class Bar(Foo):
def __init__(self):
print('Bar init called')
super().__init__()
def child_method(self):
print('Child method called')
bar = Bar()
bar.call_child_method()
I am almost sure that there is a proper term for what I want to do but since I'm not familiar with it, I will try to describe the whole idea explicitly. So what I have is a collection of classes that all inherit from one base class. All the classes consist almost entirely of different methods that are relevant within each class only. However, there are several methods that share similar name, general functionality and also some logic but their implementation is still mostly different. So what I want to know is whether it's possible to create a method in a base class that will execute some logic that is similar to all the methods but still continue the execution in the class specific method. Hopefully that makes sense but I will try to give a basic example of what I want.
So consider a base class that looks something like that:
class App(object):
def __init__(self, testName):
self.localLog = logging.getLogger(testName)
def access(self):
LOGIC_SHARED
And an example of a derived class:
class App1(App):
def __init__(self, testName):
. . .
super(App1, self).__init__(testName)
def access(self):
LOGIC_SPECIFIC
So what I'd like to achieve is that the LOGIC_SHARED part in base class access method to be executed when calling the access method of any App class before executing the LOGIC_SPECIFIC part which is(as it says) specific for each access method of all derived classes.
If that makes any difference, the LOGIC_SHARED mostly consists of logging and maintenance tasks.
Hope that is clear enough and the idea makes sense.
NOTE 1:
There are class specific parameters which are being used in the LOGIC_SHARED section.
NOTE 2:
It is important to implement that behavior using only Python built-in functions and modules.
NOTE 3:
The LOGIC_SHARED part looks something like that:
try:
self.localLog.info("Checking the actual link for %s", self.application)
self.link = self.checkLink(self.application)
self.localLog.info("Actual link found!: %s", self.link)
except:
self.localLog.info("No links found. Going to use the default link: %s", self.link)
So, there are plenty of specific class instance attributes that I use and I'm not sure how to use these attributes from the base class.
Sure, just put the specific logic in its own "private" function, which can overridden by the derived classes, and leave access in the Base.
class Base(object):
def access(self):
# Shared logic 1
self._specific_logic()
# Shared logic 2
def _specific_logic(self):
# Nothing special to do in the base class
pass
# Or you could even raise an exception
raise Exception('Called access on Base class instance')
class DerivedA(Base):
# overrides Base implementation
def _specific_logic(self):
# DerivedA specific logic
class DerivedB(Base):
# overrides Base implementation
def _specific_logic(self):
# DerivedB specific logic
def test():
x = Base()
x.access() # Shared logic 1
# Shared logic 2
a = DerivedA()
a.access() # Shared logic 1
# Derived A specific logic
# Shared logic 2
b = DerivedB()
b.access() # Shared logic 1
# Derived B specific logic
# Shared logic 2
The easiest method to do what you want is to simply call the parent's class access method inside the child's access method.
class App(object):
def __init__(self, testName):
self.localLog = logging.getLogger(testName)
def access(self):
LOGIC_SHARED
class App1(App):
def __init__(self, testName):
super(App1, self).__init__(testName)
def access(self):
App.access(self)
# or use super
super(App1, self).access()
However, your shared functionality is mostly logging and maintenance. Unless there is a pressing reason to put this inside the parent class, you may want to consider is to refactor the shared functionality into a decorator function. This is particularly useful if you want to reuse similar logging and maintenance functionality for a range of methods inside your class.
You can read more about function decorators here: http://www.artima.com/weblogs/viewpost.jsp?thread=240808, or here on Stack Overflow: How to make a chain of function decorators?.
def decorated(method):
def decorated_method(self, *args, **kwargs):
LOGIC_SHARED
method(self, *args, **kwargs)
return decorated_method
Remember than in python, functions are first class objects. That means that you can take a function and pass it as a parameter to another function. A decorator function make use of this. The decorator function takes another function as a parameter (here called method) and then creates a new function (here called decorated_method) that takes the place of the original function.
Your App1 class then would look like this:
class App1(App):
#logged
def access(self):
LOGIC_SPECIFIC
This really is shorthand for this:
class App1(App):
def access(self):
LOGIC_SPECIFIC
decorated_access = logged(App.access)
App.access = decorated_access
I would find this more elegant than adding methods to the superclass to capture shared functionality.
If I understand well this commment (How to execute BaseClass method before it gets overridden by DerivedClass method in Python) you want that additional arguments passed to the parent class used in derived class
based on Jonathon Reinhart's answer
it's how you could do
class Base(object):
def access(self,
param1 ,param2, #first common parameters
*args, #second positional parameters
**kwargs #third keyword arguments
):
# Shared logic 1
self._specific_logic(param1, param2, *args, **kwargs)
# Shared logic 2
def _specific_logic(self, param1, param2, *args, **kwargs):
# Nothing special to do in the base class
pass
# Or you could even raise an exception
raise Exception('Called access on Base class instance')
class DerivedA(Base):
# overrides Base implementation
def _specific_logic(self, param1, param2, param3):
# DerivedA specific logic
class DerivedB(Base):
# overrides Base implementation
def _specific_logic(self, param1, param2, param4):
# DerivedB specific logic
def test():
x = Base()
a = DerivedA()
a.access("param1", "param2", "param3") # Shared logic 1
# Derived A specific logic
# Shared logic 2
b = DerivedB()
b.access("param1", "param2", param4="param4") # Shared logic 1
# Derived B specific logic
# Shared logic 2
I personally prefer Jonathon Reinhart's answer, but seeing as you seem to want more options, here's two more. I would probably never use the metaclass one, as cool as it is, but I might consider the second one with decorators.
With Metaclasses
This method uses a metaclass for the base class that will force the base class's access method to be called first, without having a separate private function, and without having to explicitly call super or anything like that. End result: no extra work/code goes into inheriting classes.
Plus, it works like maaaagiiiiic </spongebob>
Below is the code that will do this. Here http://dbgr.cc/W you can step through the code live and see how it works :
#!/usr/bin/env python
class ForceBaseClassFirst(type):
def __new__(cls, name, bases, attrs):
"""
"""
print("Creating class '%s'" % name)
def wrap_function(fn_name, base_fn, other_fn):
def new_fn(*args, **kwargs):
print("calling base '%s' function" % fn_name)
base_fn(*args, **kwargs)
print("calling other '%s' function" % fn_name)
other_fn(*args, **kwargs)
new_fn.__name__ = "wrapped_%s" % fn_name
return new_fn
if name != "BaseClass":
print("setting attrs['access'] to wrapped function")
attrs["access"] = wrap_function(
"access",
getattr(bases[0], "access", lambda: None),
attrs.setdefault("access", lambda: None)
)
return type.__new__(cls, name, bases, attrs)
class BaseClass(object):
__metaclass__ = ForceBaseClassFirst
def access(self):
print("in BaseClass access function")
class OtherClass(BaseClass):
def access(self):
print("in OtherClass access function")
print("OtherClass attributes:")
for k,v in OtherClass.__dict__.iteritems():
print("%15s: %r" % (k, v))
o = OtherClass()
print("Calling access on OtherClass instance")
print("-------------------------------------")
o.access()
This uses a metaclass to replace OtherClass's access function with a function that wraps a call to BaseClass's access function and a call to OtherClass's access function. See the best explanation of metaclasses here https://stackoverflow.com/a/6581949.
Stepping through the code should really help you understand the order of things.
With Decorators
This functionality could also easily be put into a decorator, as shown below. Again, a steppable/debuggable/runnable version of the code below can be found here http://dbgr.cc/0
#!/usr/bin/env python
def superfy(some_func):
def wrapped(self, *args, **kwargs):
# NOTE might need to be changed when dealing with
# multiple inheritance
base_fn = getattr(self.__class__.__bases__[0], some_func.__name__, lambda *args, **kwargs: None)
# bind the parent class' function and call it
base_fn.__get__(self, self.__class__)(*args, **kwargs)
# call the child class' function
some_func(self, *args, **kwargs)
wrapped.__name__ = "superfy(%s)" % some_func.__name__
return wrapped
class BaseClass(object):
def access(self):
print("in BaseClass access function")
class OtherClass(BaseClass):
#superfy
def access(self):
print("in OtherClass access function")
print("OtherClass attributes")
print("----------------------")
for k,v in OtherClass.__dict__.iteritems():
print("%15s: %r" % (k, v))
print("")
o = OtherClass()
print("Calling access on OtherClass instance")
print("-------------------------------------")
o.access()
The decorator above retrieves the BaseClass' function of the same name, and calls that first before calling the OtherClass' function.
May this simple approach can help.
class App:
def __init__(self, testName):
self.localLog = logging.getLogger(testName)
self.application = None
self.link = None
def access(self):
print('There is something BaseClass must do')
print('The application is ', self.application)
print('The link is ', self.link)
class App1(App):
def __init__(self, testName):
# ...
super(App1, self).__init__(testName)
def access(self):
self.application = 'Application created by App1'
self.link = 'Link created by App1'
super(App1, self).access()
print('There is something App1 must do')
class App2(App):
def __init__(self, testName):
# ...
super(App2, self).__init__(testName)
def access(self):
self.application = 'Application created by App2'
self.link = 'Link created by App2'
super(App2, self).access()
print('There is something App2 must do')
and the test result:
>>>
>>> app = App('Baseclass')
>>> app.access()
There is something BaseClass must do
The application is None
The link is None
>>> app1 = App1('App1 test')
>>> app1.access()
There is something BaseClass must do
The application is Application created by App1
The link is Link created by App1
There is something App1 must do
>>> app2 = App2('App2 text')
>>> app2.access()
There is something BaseClass must do
The application is Application created by App2
The link is Link created by App2
There is something App2 must do
>>>
Adding a combine function we can combine two functions and execute them one after other as bellow
def combine(*fun):
def new(*s):
for i in fun:
i(*s)
return new
class base():
def x(self,i):
print 'i',i
class derived(base):
def x(self,i):
print 'i*i',i*i
x=combine(base.x,x)
new_obj=derived():
new_obj.x(3)
Output Bellow
i 3
i*i 9
it need not be single level hierarchy it can have any number of levels or nested