Reckoner wrote:
> would it be possible to use one of an object's methods without
> initializing the object?
>
> In other words, if I have:
>
> class Test:
> def __init__(self):
> print 'init'
> def foo(self):
> print 'foo'
>
> and I want to use the foo function without hitting the
> initialize constructor function.
>
> Is this possible?
>
Hi,
Yes. It is possible and it is called "class method". That is to say, it
is a method bound to the class, and not to the class instances.
In pragmatic terms, class methods have three differences from instance
methods:
1) You have to declare a classmethod as a classmethod with the
classmethod() function, or the @classmethod decorator.
2) The first argument is not the instance but the class: to mark this
clearly, it is usually named cls, instead of self.
3) Classmethods are called with class objects, which looks like this:
ClassName.class_method_name(...).
In your example, this becomes:
class Test(object):
def __init__(self):
print 'init'
@classmethod
def foo(cls):
print 'foo'
Now call foo without instantiating a Test:
Test.foo()
RB
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