Python using methods from other classes

Question

If I have two classes, and one of them has a function that I want to use in my other class, what do I use so that I don't have to rewrite my function?

Answer 1

There are several approaches:

• Inheritance
• Delegation
• Super-sneaky delegation

The following examples use each for sharing a function that prints a member.

Inheritance

class Common(object):
    def __init__(self,x):
        self.x = x
    def sharedMethod(self):
        print self.x

class Alpha(Common):
    def __init__(self):
        Common.__init__(self,"Alpha")

class Bravo(Common):
    def __init__(self):
        Common.__init__(self,"Bravo")

Delegation

class Common(object):
    def __init__(self,x):
        self.x = x
    def sharedMethod(self):
        print self.x

class Alpha(object):
    def __init__(self):
         self.common = Common("Alpha")
    def sharedMethod(self):
         self.common.sharedMethod()

class Bravo(object):
    def __init__(self):
         self.common = Common("Bravo")
    def sharedMethod(self):
         self.common.sharedMethod()

Super-sneaky Delegation
This solution is based off of the fact that there is nothing special about Python member functions; you can use any function or callable object so long as the first parameter is interpreted as the instance of the class.

def commonPrint(self):
    print self.x

class Alpha(object):
    def __init__(self):
        self.x = "Alpha"
    sharedMethod = commonPrint

class Bravo(object):
    def __init__(self):
        self.x = "Bravo"
    sharedMethod = commonPrint

Or, a similarly sneaky way of achieving delegation is to use a callable object:

class Printable(object):
   def __init__(self,x):
       self.x = x
   def __call__(self):
       print self.x

class Alpha(object):
   def __init__(self):
       self.sharedMethod = Printable("Alpha")

class Bravo(object):
   def __init__(self):
       self.sharedMethod = Printable("Bravo")

Answer 2

you create a class from which both classes inherit.

There is multiple inheritance, so if they already have a parent it's not a problem.

class master ():
    def stuff (self):
        pass

class first (master):
    pass


class second (master):
    pass


ichi=first()
ni=second()

ichi.stuff()
ni.stuff()

Answer 3

There are two options:

• instanciate an object in your class, then call the desired method on it
• use @classmethod to turn a function into a class method

Example:

class A(object):
    def a1(self):
        """ This is an instance method. """
        print "Hello from an instance of A"

    @classmethod
    def a2(cls):
        """ This a classmethod. """
        print "Hello from class A"

class B(object):
    def b1(self):
        print A().a1() # => prints 'Hello from an instance of A'
        print A.a2() # => 'Hello from class A'

Or use inheritance, if appropriate:

class A(object):
    def a1(self):
        print "Hello from Superclass"

class B(A):
    pass

B().a1() # => prints 'Hello from Superclass'