Book Image

Mastering Object-Oriented Python - Second Edition

By : Steven F. Lott
Book Image

Mastering Object-Oriented Python - Second Edition

By: Steven F. Lott

Overview of this book

Object-oriented programming (OOP) is a relatively complex discipline to master, and it can be difficult to see how general principles apply to each language's unique features. With the help of the latest edition of Mastering Objected-Oriented Python, you'll be shown how to effectively implement OOP in Python, and even explore Python 3.x. Complete with practical examples, the book guides you through the advanced concepts of OOP in Python, and demonstrates how you can apply them to solve complex problems in OOP. You will learn how to create high-quality Python programs by exploring design alternatives and determining which design offers the best performance. Next, you'll work through special methods for handling simple object conversions and also learn about hashing and comparison of objects. As you cover later chapters, you'll discover how essential it is to locate the best algorithms and optimal data structures for developing robust solutions to programming problems with minimal computer processing. Finally, the book will assist you in leveraging various Python features by implementing object-oriented designs in your programs. By the end of this book, you will have learned a number of alternate approaches with different attributes to confidently solve programming problems in Python.
Table of Contents (25 chapters)
Free Chapter
1
Section 1: Tighter Integration Via Special Methods
11
Section 2: Object Serialization and Persistence
17
Section 3: Object-Oriented Testing and Debugging

Decorators and Mixins - Cross-Cutting Aspects

A software design often has aspects that apply across several classes, functions, or methods. We might have a concern, such as logging, auditing, or security, that must be implemented consistently. One general method for reuse of functionality in object-oriented programming is inheritance through a class hierarchy. However, inheritance doesn't always work out well. For example, one aspect of a software design could be orthogonal to the class hierarchy. These are sometimes called cross-cutting concerns. They cut across the classes, making design more complex.

A decorator provides a way to define functionality that's not bound to the inheritance hierarchy. We can use decorators to design an aspect of our application and then apply the decorators across classes, methods, or functions.

Additionally, we can use multiple inheritances...