Call class function from init function python

In this article, we will see how to call a class function from an init function in Python.

In python, when an object of a given class is created, the init function is invoked automatically. It’s common practice to utilize this when setting up an object for the first time, including setting default values to a class members.

• In the init method, calling a class function is common when the default value of an attribute should be determined by the outcome of some other function.
• This is helpful if you need to supply a default value that is determined by some logic or external data.

Scenario #1:

In the init method, you can utilize a class function to assign a default value to an attribute. Following is the example program.

class MyClass:
    def __init__(self):
        self.value = self.calculate_value()

    def calculate_value(self):
        # Perform some calculation to determine the default value
        return 42

For this specific case, the init procedure is responsible for initializing the value attribute using the output of the calculate value method. The value attribute’s default value could be calculated by any method via this function. Class functions, like calculate value, are defined within a class and can be used to modify instances of that class.

Note that calculate value is not a static method; as such, it has access to and can make use of the object’s self properties when calculating.

Scenario #2:

For example, you might want to use the value of another attribute in the calculation of the default value. See the following example:

class MyClass:
    def __init__(self, x):
        self.x = x
        self.value = self.calculate_value()

    def calculate_value(self):
        # Use the value of x in the calculation
        return 42 + self.x

In this example, the init method takes a single argument, x, and assigns it to the object as an attribute. The calculate value function then calculates the value of x to determine the default value for the value attribute.

Another situation in which you might want to call a class function from within the init method is when you need to set up some additional state or perform some other action before the object is used. For example, you might want to load some data from a file or create some other objects that the object will require to function properly.

Scenario #3:

Here’s an example of how you might use a class function inside of the __init__ method to load data from a file:

class MyClass:
    def __init__(self, filename):
        self.filename = filename
        self.data = self.load_data()

    def load_data(self):
        # Load data from the file
        with open(self.filename, 'r') as f:
            return f.read()

The init method in the above example takes a single argument, filename, and assigns it to an object attribute. The load data function then reads the contents of the specified file into a string using the value of filename. The resulting data is saved as a data attribute of the object.