Inheritance in Python

Inheritance in Python

Introduction 

Inheritance is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming (OOP) that allows a class (child or derived class) to inherit properties and behaviors from another class (parent or base class). It promotes code reusability and helps in creating a hierarchy of classes with a shared set of attributes and methods.

Syntax for creating a derived class:

python
class BaseClass:
    # Base class attributes and methods

class DerivedClass(BaseClass):
    # Derived class attributes and methods

Explanation

• The BaseClass is the parent class that contains common attributes and methods.
• The DerivedClass is the child class that inherits attributes and methods from the BaseClass.

Example:

python
class Animal:
    def __init__(self, name, species):
        self.name = name
        self.species = species

    def make_sound(self, sound):
        return f"{self.name} makes a {sound} sound."

class Dog(Animal):
    def __init__(self, name, breed):
        super().__init__(name, species="Dog")
        self.breed = breed

    def make_sound(self, sound="bark"):
        return f"{self.name} barks: {sound}!"

# Creating objects of the derived class
dog1 = Dog("Buddy", "Golden Retriever")
dog2 = Dog("Max", "German Shepherd")

# Accessing inherited method from the base class
print(dog1.make_sound())  # Output: Buddy barks: bark!

# Accessing attributes from the base class
print(dog2.species)  # Output: Dog

In the example, the Dog class inherits the attributes and methods from the Animal class using the Animal class as its base class. The Dog class also overrides the make_sound method to provide a custom implementation specific to dogs.

Keep in mind that this is just a brief overview of inheritance in Python. Inheritance can be multi-level, where a class can inherit from another derived class, forming a chain of inheritance. Additionally, Python supports multiple inheritance, where a class can inherit from multiple base classes. However, it's essential to use inheritance judiciously to maintain a clear and understandable class hierarchy.