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

Representation, persistence, state, and usability

When looking at a configuration file, we're looking at a human-friendly version of an object state. Often, we'll provide the state of more than one object. When we edit a configuration file, we're changing the persistent state of an object that will get reloaded when the application is started (or restarted). We have two common ways of looking at a configuration file:

  • A mapping or a group of mappings from parameter names to configuration values. Note that even when there are nested mappings, the structure is essentially keys and values.
  • A serialized object that has complex attributes and properties with the configuration values. The distinguishing feature is the possibility of properties, methods, and derived values in addition to the user-supplied values.

Both of these views are equivalent; the mapping view relies...