What is a constructor in Python?

Constructors are a special type of method used to initialize an object. Constructors are responsible for assigning values to the data members of a class when an object is created.

Constructors in C++, Dart, or Java have the same name as the class, but Python considers constructors differently. In Python, a constructor is called by the __init__() method, and it is invoked whenever an object is created.

Get Tanvi Jain’s stories in your inbox

Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.

Remember me for faster sign in

Syntax:

def __init__(self):
 # initializations

init is one of the reserved functions in Python. In Object Oriented Programming, it is known as a constructor.

Types of constructors

There are two types of constructors in Dart:

1. Default constructor
2. Parameterized constructor

Default constructor

The default constructor is a constructor that takes no arguments. It contains only one argument called self, which is a reference to the instance that is being built.

Code

The following code shows how to use a default constructor in Python.

class Details:
  def __init__(self):
    print("This is a default constructor")
obj1=Details()
#Output
#This is a default constructor

Parameterized constructor

Parameterized constructors are constructors that have parameters and a reference to the instance being created called self. The self reference serves as the first argument.

Code

class Details:
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age
obj1 = Details("Tanvi", "24")
print(obj1.name, "is ", obj1.age, "years old.")
#Output
#Tanvi is  24 years old.