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

Class and meaning

One essential feature of objects is that they can be classified: every object belongs to a class. This leads to a straightforward relationship between an object and class when using simple, single-inheritance design.

With multiple inheritance, the classification problem can become complex. When we look at real-world objects, such as coffee cups, we can classify them as containers without too much difficulty. That is, after all, their primary use case. The problem they solve is that of holding coffee. However, in another context, we may be interested in other use cases. Within a decorative collection of ceramic mugs, we might be more interested in size, shape, and glaze than we are in the coffee-carrying aspect of a cup.

Most objects have a straightforward is-a relationship with a class. In our coffee-holding problem domain, the mug sitting on the desk is in the...