Python Inheritance

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Python Inheritance

Inheritance is a core concept in Python that allows one class to reuse the properties and behaviors of another class. It helps reduce code duplication and makes programs easier to manage.

• Base Class (Parent Class): The class whose features are inherited.
• Derived Class (Child Class): The class that receives properties and methods from another class.

Creating a Base Class

Any normal Python class can act as a base class.

Example

Create a base class named Employee with name and department attributes and a method to display details:

class Employee: def __init__(self, name, department): self.name = name self.department = department def show_details(self): print("Name:", self.name) print("Department:", self.department) # Create an object of Employee emp1 = Employee("Aarav", "IT") emp1.show_details()

Name: Aarav Department: IT

Creating a Derived Class

To create a child class, pass the base class name inside parentheses during class creation.

Example

Create a class Manager that inherits from the Employee class:

class Employee: def __init__(self, name, department): self.name = name self.department = department def show_details(self): print("Name:", self.name) print("Department:", self.department) class Manager(Employee): pass # Now, the Manager class can use everything from the Employee class. mgr1 = Manager("Neha", "HR") mgr1.show_details()

Name: Neha Department: HR

Note: Use the pass keyword when you don’t want to add any new properties or methods directly to the class body.

Adding an __init__() Method to the Child Class

When you define an __init__() method inside the child class, it overrides the parent’s constructor. Calling the parent’s __init__() explicitly ensures the inherited attributes are initialized correctly.

Example

class Employee: def __init__(self, name, department): self.name = name self.department = department class Manager(Employee): def __init__(self, name, department): Employee.__init__(self, name, department) mgr = Manager("Vikram", "Sales") print(mgr.name)

Vikram

Using the super() Function

Python provides the super() function to make inheritance cleaner and more readable. Using super() removes the need to explicitly mention the parent class name.

Example

class Employee: def __init__(self, name, department): self.name = name self.department = department class Manager(Employee): def __init__(self, name, department): super().__init__(name, department) mgr = Manager("Priya", "Marketing") print(mgr.department)

Marketing

Adding New Properties to the Child Class

A child class can have its own additional properties that the parent class does not possess.

Example

Add a team_size property to the Manager class:

class Employee: def __init__(self, name, department): self.name = name self.department = department class Manager(Employee): def __init__(self, name, department, team_size): super().__init__(name, department) self.team_size = team_size # Create an object and pass the extra value mgr2 = Manager("Rohan", "Finance", 8) print("Team Size:", mgr2.team_size)

Team Size: 8

Adding New Methods to the Child Class

You can also define methods that exist only in the child class.

Example

Add a greet_team() method to the Manager class:

class Employee: def __init__(self, name, department): self.name = name self.department = department class Manager(Employee): def __init__(self, name, department, team_size): super().__init__(name, department) self.team_size = team_size def greet_team(self): print( "Hello, I am", self.name, "from", self.department, "department managing a team of", self.team_size, "members." ) mgr2 = Manager("Rohan", "Finance", 8) mgr2.greet_team()

Hello, I am Rohan from Finance department managing a team of 8 members.

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