dakotalmartinez/python-p3-init-self

Object Initialization

Learning Goals

• Learn about the __init__ method.
• Learn about the self keyword.
• Initialize unique objects from the same class.

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Key Vocab

• Class: a bundle of data and functionality. Can be copied and modified to accomplish a wide variety of programming tasks.
• Initialize: create a working copy of a class using its __init__() method.
• Instance: one specific working copy of a class. It is created when a class's __init__() method is called.
• Object: the more common name for an instance. The two can usually be used interchangeably.
• Function: a series of steps that create, transform, and move data.
• Method: a function that is defined inside of a class.
• self: a keyword reference to the current instance of the class that is used to access attributes of the instance.
• Attribute: variables that belong to an object.

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Introduction

We've already seen many new instances of different classes being created:

class Dog:
    pass

fido = Dog()
# <__main__.Dog object at 0x104fc0550>

snoopy = Dog()
# <__main__.Dog object at 0x104fc0562>

We know from their IDs that fido and snoopy live in different locations in memory, but their behavior is identical. We don't provide them any unique methods or attributes in the code above.

We can modify their attributes using dot notation as follows:

fido.breed = "Dalmatian"
snoopy.breed = "Beagle"

fido.breed
# Dalmatian
snoopy.breed
# Beagle

...but dogs are born with breeds, not assigned breeds later on. To provide objects with unique attributes upon instantiation, we use the __init__ method.

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__init__

Every time we initialize a new object, the Python interpreter calls a magic method called __init__. Magic methods (also called dunder methods due to their double underscores) are special methods that are not meant to be called by developers but are invoked by different cues and operators that act on their objects.

The __init__ method belongs to every class and is invoked when you initialize a class. Though you cannot see it in our Dog class above, there is code that is executed behind the scenes.

Though it always executes when we initialize an object, it does not do anything by default. Instead, we overwrite __init__ in most classes to change an object's behavior:

class Dog:
    # Remember that all methods use "self." We'll elaborate on this in a moment.
    def __init__(self):
        print("A dog is born!")

    def bark(self):
        print("Woof!")
    
fido = Dog()
# A dog is born!

__init__ can also be modified to take more arguments. This allows us to customize the behavior of unique objects:

class Dog:
    def __init__(self, name):
        print(f"{name} is born!")

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

fido = Dog("Fido")
# Fido is born!

snoopy = Dog("Snoopy")
# Snoopy is born!

When is the __init__ magic method run?

When an object is instantiated.

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self

Modifying __init__ has allowed us to provide fido and snoopy with different behaviors, but now that they've both been initialized, they're more or less the same dog. In order to make lasting changes to an object, we need to modify self. Before we do, open up the Python shell and let's take a look at self:

class Dog:
    def __init__(self, name):
        print(f"{name} is born!")

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

    def showing_self(self):
        return self

fido = Dog("Fido")
# Fido is born!
fido.showing_self()
# <__main__.Dog object at 0x104f8bfa0>

You might recognize this output from earlier- self is the same type of object as fido! As a matter of fact, it is fido!

fido is fido.showing_self()
# True

How does this work? Inside the showing_self() method, we use the self keyword.

The self keyword refers to the instance, or object, that the showing_self() method is being called on.

So, when we call showing_self() on fido, the method will return the Dog instance that is fido.

If you’re familiar with Object Oriented JavaScript from previous experience, the closest equivalent to self in Python is this in JavaScript. Again, no worries if you haven't seen OOJS before. The this keyword behaves similarly, where this refers to the object to the left of the dot when a method is called on an object:

class Dog {
  showingThis() {
    return this;
  }
}

const fido = new Dog();
fido.showingThis();
// => Dog {}

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__init__ and self Together

Now that we know that __init__ contains code that runs whenever we initialize a new object and that the self that is passed to each method is a reference to the initialized object, let's make some unique dogs:

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

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

fido = Dog("Fido")
fido.name
# Fido

snoopy = Dog("Snoopy")
snoopy.name
# Snoopy

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Operating on self in an Instance Method

Let's say that Fido here is getting adopted. Fido's new owner is Sophie. We can set Fido's owner attribute equal to the string of "Sophie". The name of his new owner:

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

fido.owner = "Sophie"

fido.owner
# "Sophie"

Great, Fido now knows the name of his owner. Let's think about the situation in which fido gets a new owner. This would occur at the moment in which fido is adopted.

To represent this with code, we could write an adopt() function like this:

def adopt(dog, owner_name):
    dog.owner = owner_name

Here we have a method that takes in two arguments, an instance of the Dog class and an owner's name. We could call our method like this:

adopt(fido, "Sophie")

# now we can ask Fido who his owner is:

fido.owner
# => "Sophie"

However, the beauty of object-oriented programming is that we can encapsulate, or wrap up, attributes and behaviors into one object. Instead of writing a function that is not associated to any particular object and that takes in certain objects as arguments, we can simply teach our Dog instances how to get adopted.

Let's refactor our code above into an instance method on the Dog class.

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

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

    def get_adopted(self, owner_name):
        self.owner = owner_name

Here, we use the self keyword inside of the get_adopted() instance method to refer to whichever dog this method is being called on. We set that dog's owner equal to owner_name just as we would assign any other variable!

Think about it: if self refers to the object on which the method is being called, and if that object is an instance of the Dog class, then we can call any of our other instance methods on self.

Here's how we'd use the get_adopted() method:

fido = Dog("Fido")
fido.get_adopted("Sophie")
fido.owner
# "Sophie"

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Optional __init__ Arguments

There are a number of things that are important to know about a dog that you're planning to adopt. Age, weight, breed, and many more attributes factor into whether they're a good fit for you and your home. Other things, like favorite toys, are not quite so important.

To accommodate these less important details, Python lets us set default values for arguments in any method or function. Let's see how we would prepare an optional favorite_toy argument:

class Dog:
    def __init__(self, name, favorite_toy="Any"):
        self.name = name
        self.favorite_toy = favorite_toy

fido = Dog("Fido")
fido.favorite_toy
# Any

snoopy = Dog("Snoopy", "Tennis Ball")
snoopy.favorite_toy
# Tennis Ball

Do note, however, that arguments without default values are not optional:

old_yeller = Dog()
# TypeError: __init__() missing 1 required positional argument: 'name'

Can functions have optional arguments too?

Yes!

Aside from the self keyword, functions and methods are identical.

One of the most common Python functions, print(), has an optional end argument.

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Instructions

Fork and clone the lab and run the tests with pytest -x.

1. Dog.__init__ with Name and Breed defaulting to "Mutt"

Define a Dog class in lib/dog.py. In the class, define an __init__ method that accepts an argument for the dog's name. That argument should be stored within a self.name attribute.

Additionally, Dog.__init__ should accept a second optional argument for the dog's breed stored in an attribute self.breed. When no breed is provided, it should default to "Mutt".

2. Person.__init__ with a Name

Define a Person class in lib/person.py. In the class, define an __init__ method that accepts an argument for the person's name. That argument should be stored within a self.name attribute.

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Conclusion

In Python, when we use self keyword in an instance method, self refers to whatever instance that method was called on. It's like a special variable that changes meaning depending on the context. Using self in conjunction with __init__ allows us to create objects and set their most important attributes in one line of code. This also ensures that any objects of one class always contain the data that they need to be useful later on.

This concept of our objects being self-aware is key to our ability to write object-oriented code. It may take some time to familiarize yourself with this concept, and that's ok! Just make sure to test out your code, and find ways to determine what self is (like using ipdb.set_trace()) if you're ever not sure.

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Resources

• init in Python
• Python self
• What do init and self do in Python?