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Python Object-Oriented Python (retired) Inheritance Intro to Inheritance

Posted by Colby Work
Colby Work
20,422 Points

Why set anything with self.x, and just use setattr()?

It seems weird to me to layout specific attributes, then put a generic way to catch random attributes. It seems like it would be a lot less code to just put setattr() at the beginning and forget about anything specific.

Also, in regards to this videos example, would that be a standard practice? Would I add that to all my classes if I were a programmer?

Thanks

1 Answer

Chris Freeman
MOD
Chris Freeman
Treehouse Moderator 68,454 Points
Chris Freeman
Chris Freeman
Treehouse Moderator 68,454 Points

Looping over **kwargs works if you have no concerns over managing parameters. Using this method has its drawbacks

  • **kwargs would allow any attribute or method to be overwritten. Using a "whitelist" adds some protection.
  • It doesn't handle misspelled arguments.

Using self.x is shorthand. Behind the scenes, setattr(self, 'x', 123) is equivalent to self.x = 123.

In many situations, it's better to be explicit and list the arguments you are expecting, or check each kwarg against a whitelist.