Inheritance in Python 🐍

Python is an object-oriented programming language, and inheritance is one of its core concepts. It allows a class to inherit attributes and methods from another class, promoting code reuse and hierarchical relationships.

Basic Syntax 🧱

To create a class that inherits from another, use the class keyword followed by the child class name and the (ParentClass) syntax:

class ChildClass(ParentClass):
    # Child class implementation

Example:

class Animal:
    def speak(self):
        return "Animal sound"

class Dog(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Woof!"

Key Features 📌

• Reusability: Avoid redundant code by inheriting functionality.
• Polymorphism: Override parent methods for specialized behavior.
• Hierarchy: Build relationships between classes (e.g., Dog inherits from Animal).

Method Overriding 🔄

Override a parent method by defining it again in the child class:

class Bird(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Chirp!"

Multiple Inheritance 🧱🧱

Python supports inheriting from multiple parent classes:

class FlyingAnimal(Animal):
    def fly(self):
        return "Flying!"

class Eagle(FlyingAnimal, Bird):
    pass

Use Cases 📊

• Creating a base class for common functionality.
• Extending classes with specialized features.
• Implementing design patterns like is-a relationships.

For deeper insights into Python OOP fundamentals, check out our Python OOP Fundamentals tutorial.