Initialization
Instances are commonly created with specific parameters that distinguish them from one another. For instance, let's consider the class User and its instances, such as John and Bob, who have distinct names, surnames, and ages. Now, let's explore how we can set these parameters when creating an instance.
What is __init__ ?
__init__ is a special method that is used to initialize attributes for a new instance of a class. The __init__ method, which is executed we create a new instance of a class.
As a reminder, creating a new instance involves using the class name and parentheses (). The purpose of the __init__ method is to receive values as arguments within these parentheses and assign these values to the attributes of the newly created instance.
123456789class User: def __init__(self, name, surname, age): self.name = name self.surname = surname self.age = age bob = User("Bob", "Smith", 11) print(bob.name, bob.surname, bob.age)
In the provided example, we have defined the __init__ method, which is executed every time a new instance of the class is created. When we create the bob instance, we pass the values "Bob", "Smith", and 11 as arguments to the User class. The __init__ method receives these arguments and utilizes them to define new attributes for the bob instance.
print(User.age)
The User.age should raise an AttributeError because the User class does not have any attributes defined. The __init__ method, as mentioned earlier, is responsible for defining attributes for each instance of the class, not for the class itself.
Note
Further details about methods will be described in subsequent chapters.
We will cover the
selfargument in the next chapter. There is no need to delve into it at this moment.
Thanks for your feedback!
Ask AI
Ask AI
Ask anything or try one of the suggested questions to begin our chat
Ask me questions about this topic
Summarize this chapter
Show real-world examples
Awesome!
Completion rate improved to 2.78Initialization
Swipe to show menu
Instances are commonly created with specific parameters that distinguish them from one another. For instance, let's consider the class User and its instances, such as John and Bob, who have distinct names, surnames, and ages. Now, let's explore how we can set these parameters when creating an instance.
What is __init__ ?
__init__ is a special method that is used to initialize attributes for a new instance of a class. The __init__ method, which is executed we create a new instance of a class.
As a reminder, creating a new instance involves using the class name and parentheses (). The purpose of the __init__ method is to receive values as arguments within these parentheses and assign these values to the attributes of the newly created instance.
123456789class User: def __init__(self, name, surname, age): self.name = name self.surname = surname self.age = age bob = User("Bob", "Smith", 11) print(bob.name, bob.surname, bob.age)
In the provided example, we have defined the __init__ method, which is executed every time a new instance of the class is created. When we create the bob instance, we pass the values "Bob", "Smith", and 11 as arguments to the User class. The __init__ method receives these arguments and utilizes them to define new attributes for the bob instance.
print(User.age)
The User.age should raise an AttributeError because the User class does not have any attributes defined. The __init__ method, as mentioned earlier, is responsible for defining attributes for each instance of the class, not for the class itself.
Note
Further details about methods will be described in subsequent chapters.
We will cover the
selfargument in the next chapter. There is no need to delve into it at this moment.
Thanks for your feedback!
