Day 19: Creating Python Class Objects

Understanding the init Method in Python

The __init__ method in Python is a special method known as a constructor. It is utilized to initialize the attributes of an object at the time of its creation. To define the __init__ method, it should be written inside a class and given the 'self' parameter.

The 'self' parameter refers to the instances of the class and is used to access the attributes and methods of the instance from within the class. The __init__ method is automatically invoked when you create an instance of the class using the class name syntax.

You can pass arguments to the __init__ method to initialize attributes of the instance.

Defining the init Method in a Class

class Dog:
    def __init__(self, name, breed):
        self.name = name 
        self.breed = breed 

    def bark(self):
        print("Woof!") 

# Create an instance of the Dog class 
# and initialize its attributes
dog = Dog("Fido", "Labrador")
print(dog.name)  # Output: "Fido"
print(dog.breed)  # Output: "Labrador"

In the above example, the __init__ method is defined within the 'Dog' class. It takes 'self', 'name', and 'breed' as parameters. When an instance of the 'Dog' class is created, the __init__ method is automatically called, initializing the 'name' and 'breed' attributes of the instance.

Passing Arguments to the init Method

class Dog:
    def __init__(self, name, breed):
        self.name = name 
        self.breed = breed 

    def bark(self):
        print("Woof!") 

# Create an instance of the Dog class 
# and initialize its attributes
dog = Dog("Buddy", "Poodle")
print(dog.name)  # Output: "Buddy"
print(dog.breed)  # Output: "Poodle"

In this example, arguments "Buddy" and "Poodle" are passed to the __init__ method when creating a new instance of the 'Dog' class. These arguments are used to initialize the 'name' and 'breed' attributes of the instance.

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