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Python – Access Parent Class Attribute

Last Updated : 02 Jul, 2020
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A class is a user-defined blueprint or prototype from which objects are created. Classes provide a means of bundling data and functionality together. Creating a new class creates a new type of object, allowing new instances of that type to be made. Each class instance can have attributes attached to it for maintaining its state. Class instances can also have methods (defined by its class) for modifying its state.

Example:




# Python program to demonstrate
# classes and objects
  
  
# Creating a class 
class Student:
      
    # Class Variable
    stream = 'COE'
      
    def __init__(self, name, roll_no):
  
        # Instance Variable
        self.name = name 
        self.roll_no = roll_no 
  
# Objects of Student class 
a = Student('SHIVAM', 3425
b = Student('SACHIN', 3624)
  
print(a.stream)
print(b.stream)
print(a.name)
print(b.name)
print(a.roll_no) 
print(b.roll_no)
  
# Class variables can be 
# accessed using class 
# name also 
print(Student.stream)


Output:

COE
COE
SHIVAM
SACHIN
3425
3624
COE

Note: For more information, refer to Python Classes and Objects.

Accessing Parent Class Functions

When a class inherits from another class it inherits the attributes and methods of another class. A class that inherits from another class is known as child class and the class from which the child class inherits is known as Parent class. But have you ever wondered how to access the parent’s class methods? This is really simple, you just have to call the constructor of parent class inside the constructor of child class and then the object of a child class can access the methods and attributes of the parent class.

Example:




# Python code to demonstrate 
# how parent constructors are called. 
    
# parent class 
class Person( object ):     
    
        # __init__ is known as the constructor          
        def __init__(self, name, idnumber):    
                self.name = name 
                self.idnumber = idnumber 
                  
        def display(self): 
                print(self.name) 
                print(self.idnumber) 
    
# child class 
class Employee( Person ):            
        def __init__(self, name, idnumber, salary): 
                self.salary = salary 
    
                # invoking the constructor of 
                # the parent class  
                Person.__init__(self, name, idnumber)  
          
        def show(self):
            print(self.salary)
    
                    
# creation of an object
# variable or an instance 
a = Employee('Rahul', 886012, 30000000)     
    
# calling a function of the
# class Person using Employee's
# class instance 
a.display()
a.show() 


Output:

Rahul
886012
30000000

Note: For more information, refer to Inheritance in Python.

Accessing Parent class method from inner class

An inner class or nested class is a defined inside the body of another class. If an object is created using a class, the object inside the root class can be used. A class can have one or more than one inner classes.

Types of Inner Classes:

  • Multiple Inner Class
  • Multilevel Inner Class

Multiple Inner Class: A class containing more than one inner class.

MULTIPLE INNER CLASS

Example:




class Electronics:
    def __init__(self):
        print('SINGLA ELECTRONICS')
        self.laptop=self.Laptop()
        self.mobile=self.Mobile()
          
    # Inner Class 1
    class Laptop:
        def operation(self):
            print('DELL Inspiron 15')
              
    # Inner Class 2
    class Mobile:
        def operation(self):
            print('Redmi Note 5')
              
# Driver Code
ele = Electronics()
ele.laptop.operation()
ele.mobile.operation()


Output:

SINGLA ELECTRONICS
DELL Inspiron 15
Redmi Note 5

Multilevel Inner Class: In multilevel inner classes, the inner class contains another class which is inner classes to the previous one.

MULTILEVEL INNER CLASS

Example:




class Vehicle:
  
    def __init__(self):
          
        # instantiating the 'Inner' class
        self.inner = self.Car()
          
        # instantiating the multilevel
        # 'InnerInner' class
        self.innerinner = self.inner.Maruti()
  
    def show_classes(self):
        print("This is in Outer class that is Vehicle")
          
  
    # inner class
    class Car:
        # First Inner Class
  
        def __init__(self):
              
            # instantiating the 
            # 'InnerInner' class
            self.innerinner = self.Maruti()
              
        def show_classes(self):
            print("This is in Inner class that is Car")
              
        # multilevel inner class
        class Maruti:
  
            def inner_display(self, msg):
                print("This is in multilevel InnerInner\
                      class that is Maruti")
                print(msg)
  
      
# Driver Code
outer = Vehicle()
outer.show_classes()
inner = outer.Car()
inner.show_classes()
innerinner = inner.Maruti()
  
# Calling the method inner_display
innerinner.inner_display("Just Print It!")


Output:

This is in Outer class that is Vehicle
This is in Inner class that is Car
This is in multilevel InnerInner class that is Maruti
Just Print It!


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