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Python Inheritance
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Python Inheritance
Inheritance allows us to define a class that inherits all the methods and properties
from another class.

Parent class is the class being inherited from, also called base class.

Child class is the class that inherits from another class, also called derived class.

Create a Parent Class

Any class can be a parent class, so the syntax is the same as creating any other
class:

Example Get your own Python Server

Create a class named Person , with firstname and lastname properties, and a
printname method:

class Person:
def __init__(self, fname, lname):
self.firstname = fname
self.lastname = lname

def printname(self):
print(self.firstname, self.lastname)

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#Use the
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Person Exercises
 class  Services
to create 
an object,  execute the
and then Sign Up Log in
printname
method:
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x = Person("John", "Doe")
x.printname()

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Create a Child Class

To create a class that inherits the functionality from another class, send the parent
class as a parameter when creating the child class:

Example
Create a class named Student , which will inherit the properties and methods from
the Person class:

class Student(Person):
pass

Note: Use the pass keyword when you do not want to add any other properties or
methods to the class.

Now the Student class has the same properties and methods as the Person class.

Example
Use the Student class to create an object, and then execute the printname method:

x = Student("Mike", "Olsen")
x.printname()

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Add the __init__() Function

So far we have created a child class that inherits the properties and methods from its
parent.

We want to add the __init__() function to the child class (instead of the pass
keyword).

Note: The __init__() function is called automatically every time the class is being
used to create a new object.

Example
Add the __init__() function to the Student class:

class Student(Person):
def __init__(self, fname, lname):
#add properties etc.

When you add the __init__() function, the child class will no longer inherit the
parent's __init__() function.

Note: The child's __init__() function overrides the inheritance of the parent's
__init__() function.

To keep the inheritance of the parent's __init__() function, add a call to the
parent's __init__() function:

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class Student(Person):
def __init__(self, fname, lname):
Person.__init__(self, fname, lname)

Try it Yourself »

Now we have successfully added the __init__() function, and kept the inheritance
of the parent class, and we are ready to add functionality in the __init__() function.

Use the super() Function

Python also has a super() function that will make the child class inherit all the
methods and properties from its parent:

Example
class Student(Person):
def __init__(self, fname, lname):
super().__init__(fname, lname)

Try it Yourself »

By using the super() function, you do not have to use the name of the parent
element, it will automatically inherit the methods and properties from its parent.

Add Properties

Example
Add a property called graduationyear to the Student class:

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class Student(Person):
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def __init__(self, fname, lname):
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super().__init__(fname, lname)
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self.graduationyear = 2019

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In the example below, the year 2019 should be a variable, and passed into the
Student class when creating student objects. To do so, add another parameter in the
__init__() function:

Example
Add a year parameter, and pass the correct year when creating objects:

class Student(Person):
def __init__(self, fname, lname, year):
super().__init__(fname, lname)
self.graduationyear = year

x = Student("Mike", "Olsen", 2019)

Try it Yourself »

Add Methods

Example
Add a method called welcome to the Student class:

class Student(Person):
def __init__(self, fname, lname, year):
super().__init__(fname, lname)
self.graduationyear = year

def welcome(self):

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print("Welcome", self.firstname, self.lastname, "to the class of",

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Try it Yourself »

If you add a method in the child class with the same name as a function in the parent
class, the inheritance of the parent method will be overridden.

?
Exercise
What is the correct keyword to use inside an empty class, to avoid getting an
error?

empty

inherit

pass

Submit Answer »

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