What is the use of the "super" function in Python?
Table of Contants
Introduction
The super
function in Python is a built-in function that allows you to call methods from a parent class within a child class. This is particularly useful for extending or modifying functionality in subclasses while maintaining access to the methods of the base class. The super
function plays a crucial role in inheritance and method overriding.
How the super
Function Works
The super
function returns a temporary object of the superclass that allows you to call its methods. This is useful for accessing methods from the parent class without explicitly naming it, which supports better code maintenance and multiple inheritance scenarios.
Syntax:
super()
: Returns a proxy object representing the superclass.method
: The method you want to call from the superclass.arguments
: Arguments to be passed to the superclass method.
Example with Method Overriding:
Output:
In this example, super().__init__()
is used in the Child
class to call the __init__
method from the Parent
class. Similarly, super().greet()
is used in the greet
method of Child
to call the greet
method of Parent
.
Key Uses of the super
Function
- Extending Functionality: Use
super
to extend or modify the behavior of methods in a subclass while preserving the functionality of the parent class methods. - Avoiding Explicit Parent Class References:
super
helps in avoiding hardcoding the parent class name, which makes the code more flexible and easier to maintain, especially in complex inheritance hierarchies. - Supporting Multiple Inheritance: In cases of multiple inheritance,
super
ensures that the method resolution order (MRO) is followed correctly, calling methods from the appropriate parent classes.
Example with Multiple Inheritance:
Output:
In this example, super
handles method resolution across multiple inheritance paths, ensuring that each class's greet
method is called in the correct order.
Conclusion
The super
function in Python is a powerful tool for working with inheritance and method overriding. By using super
, you can extend or modify the functionality of parent class methods, avoid hardcoding parent class names, and support complex inheritance scenarios with multiple base classes.