The super() method is used to call a method from a parent class within a subclass. It allows us to access and invoke the methods and attributes of the parent class, enabling you to extend or override their behavior in the subclass.
Let's take an example of a Vehicle class and a Car subclass to understand how the super() method works:
class Vehicle:
def __init__(self, make, model):
self.make = make
self.model = model
def start_engine(self):
print("Engine started!")
class Car(Vehicle):
def __init__(self, make, model, color):
super().__init__(make, model)
self.color = color
def start_engine(self):
super().start_engine()
print("Car engine started!")
my_car = Car("Toyota", "Camry", "Blue")
my_car.start_engine()In this code, we define a Vehicle class with an __init__ method and a start_engine method. We also define a Car subclass that inherits from the Vehicle class.
In the Car subclass, we override the __init__ method to add a color attribute specific to cars. We use the super() method in the __init__ method of the Car class to call the __init__ method of the parent class (Vehicle), ensuring that the make and model attributes are properly initialized.
We also override the start_engine method in the Car class to extend the behavior of the parent class. We use the super() method to call the start_engine method of the parent class (Vehicle), and then print an additional message specific to cars.
When we create an object of the Car class and call the start_engine method, the super() method allows us to invoke the start_engine method of the parent class (Vehicle) and extend its behavior in the subclass (Car).
The output of the code will be:
Engine started!
Car engine started!
In this example, the super() method enables us to leverage the functionality of the parent class while extending or customizing it in the subclass.
The super() method is particularly useful when you want to invoke the methods of the parent class while adding or modifying functionality in the subclass.