Mastering Object-oriented Python

Chapter 1. The __init__() Method

The __init__() method is profound for two reasons. Initialization is the first big step in an object's life; every object must be initialized properly to work properly. The second reason is that the argument values for __init__() can take on many forms.

Because there are so many ways to provide argument values to __init__(), there is a vast array of use cases for object creation. We take a look at several of them. We want to maximize clarity, so we need to define an initialization that properly characterizes the problem domain.

Before we can get to the __init__() method, however, we need to take a look at the implicit class hierarchy in Python, glancing, briefly, at the class named object. This will set the stage ...