Python Data model: Special methods in classes

Improve your classes to support well-known Python language features by implementing special, magic or dunder methods.

What you'll learn

What is the Python data model?
How Python's language features map to Special Methods
Special methods like __str__, __len__, __getitem__, __init__, __hash__, __lt__ and many more!
Lots of practical examples
Object identity, equality, Container objects, Context Managers, Object instantiation

Requirements

Some experience writing classes in Python
Intermediate programming experience

Description

Level up your Python programming skills by learning the Python data model and start implementing magic methods in your classes.

Python has language features like iteration, subscripting (indexing), context managers, hashing, equality checking etc.

If you are writing classes, you want the user of your classes to leverage their existing knowledge of Python to make smart guesses how your classes work.

The Python datamodel describes the API to integrate your custom classes so they fit nicely into the existing language idioms.

For example, you want users of your classes to use a for-loop to iterate over your objects, you want them to be able to use equality operators and get the results they expect. And when they call the len function on your object, you need to return a number.

After this course you are able to map Python language features like:

indexers (subscripting) __getitem__
iterators __iter__, __next__
identity
hashing __hash__
equality __eq__, __ne__, __lt__, __gt__, __le__, __ge__
function calls __call__
object construction __new__, __init__
context managers __enter__, __exit__

to dunder methods, the secret weapon of your objects.

My name is Loek van den Ouweland and I’m a Python Trainer. I teach beginners how to create their first programs and I help professionals to understand Python better.

The feedback I get from my students is that the course is well structured with lot’s of practical examples, they had a lot of fun during the training and it convinced them that programming at any level, is not magic, but a learnable skill!

Who this course is for:

Python programmers who want understand Python better
Python programmers who want to understand how language features like built-in functions and operators map to special methods in classes