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

Designing for Testability

High-quality programs have automated tests. We need to use everything at our disposal to be sure that our software works. The golden rule is this: to be deliverable, a feature must have an automated unit test. Without an automated unit test, a feature cannot be trusted to work and should not be used. According to Kent Beck, in Extreme Programming Explained:

"Any program feature without an automated test simply doesn't exist."

There are the following two essential points regarding the automated testing of program features:

  • Automated: This means that there's no human judgment involved. The testing involves a script that compares actual responses to expected responses.
  • Features: Elements of the software are tested in isolation to be sure that they work separately. In some contexts, features are quite broad concepts involving functionality...