Class method Vs Static method

In Python, both @staticmethod and @classmethod decorators are used to define methods that are associated with a class rather than with an instance. However, they serve slightly different purposes and have distinct behavior. Let's delve into the details with examples:

@staticmethod

A static method is a method that is bound to a class and not to the instances of the class. It doesn't receive any special first parameter (such as self for instance methods or cls for class methods). It behaves like a regular function but is scoped within the class.

class MathUtils: @staticmethod def add(x, y): return x + y result = MathUtils.add(5, 3) print("Result of addition:", result) # Output: Result of addition: 8

In the example above, the add method is a static method. It can be called using the class name (MathUtils.add(5, 3)), and it doesn't have access to instance-specific or class-specific data.

@classmethod

A class method is a method that is bound to the class and not the instance. It receives the class itself as the first parameter, conventionally named cls. This allows you to access and modify class-level attributes and methods.

class Circle: pi = 3.14159 def __init__(self, radius): self.radius = radius @classmethod def set_pi(cls, new_pi): cls.pi = new_pi circle1 = Circle(5) circle2 = Circle(8) print("Original pi:", Circle.pi) # Output: Original pi: 3.14159 Circle.set_pi(3.14) print("Updated pi:", Circle.pi) # Output: Updated pi: 3.14

In the example above, the set_pi method is a class method. It is used to modify the class attribute pi across all instances of the class. By receiving the class (cls) as an argument, it can access and modify class-level data.

Conclusion

The @staticmethod is used when a method doesn't require access to instance or class data, while @classmethod is used when a method needs access to and potentially modifies class-level attributes. Both decorators provide ways to define methods that are bound to the class rather than instances.






Related Topics
  1. Python Interview Questions (Part 2)
  2. Python Interview Questions (Part 3)
  3. What is python used for?
  4. Is Python interpreted, or compiled, or both?
  1. Explain how python is interpreted
  2. How do I install pip on Windows?
  3. How do you protect Python source code?
  4. What are the disadvantages of the Python?
  5. How would you achieve web scraping in Python?
  6. How to Python Script executable on Unix
  7. What is the difference between .py and .pyc files?
  8. What is __init__.py used for in Python?
  9. What does __name__=='__main__' in Python mean?
  10. What is docstring in Python?
  11. What is the difference between runtime and compile time?
  12. How to use *args and **kwargs in Python
  13. Purpose of "/" and "//" operator in python?
  14. What is the purpose pass statement in python?
  15. Why isn't there a switch or case statement in Python?
  16. How does the ternary operator work in Python?
  17. What is the purpose of "self" in Python
  18. How do you debug a program in Python?
  19. What are literals in python?
  20. Is Python call-by-value or call-by-reference?
  21. What is the process of compilation and Loading in python?
  22. Global and Local Variables in Python
  23. Static analysis tools in Python
  24. What does the 'yield' keyword do in Python?
  25. Python Not Equal Operator (!=)
  26. What is the difference between 'is' and '==' in python
  27. What is the difference between = and == in Python?
  28. How are the functions help() and dir() different?
  29. What is the python keyword "with" used for?
  30. Why isn't all memory freed when CPython exits
  31. Difference between Mutable and Immutable in Python
  32. Python Split Regex: How to use re.split() function?
  33. Accessor and Mutator methods in Python
  34. How to Implement an 'enum' in Python
  35. What is Object in Python?
  36. How to determine the type of instance and inheritance in Python
  37. Python Inheritance
  38. How is Inheritance and Overriding methods are related?
  39. How can you create a copy of an object in Python?
  40. Class Attributes vs Instance Attributes in Python
  41. Static class variables in Python
  42. How to Get a List of Class Attributes in Python
  43. Does Python supports interfaces like in Java or C#?
  44. How To Work with Unicode strings in Python
  45. Difference between lists and tuples in Python?
  46. What are differences between List and Dictionary in Python
  47. Different file processing modes supported by Python
  48. Python append to a file
  49. Difference Between Multithreading vs Multiprocessing in Python
  50. Is there any way to kill a Thread in Python?
  51. What is the use of lambda in Python?
  52. What is map, filter and reduce in python?
  53. Is monkey patching considered good programming practice?
  54. What is "typeerror: 'module' object is not callable"
  55. Python: TypeError: unhashable type: 'list'
  56. How to convert bytes to string in Python?
  57. What are metaclasses in Python?