python properties and inheritance

Question

I have a base class with a property which (the get method) I want to overwrite in the subclass. My first thought was something like:

class Foo(object):
    d         


        

Answer 1

Another way to do it, without having to create any additional classes. I've added a set method to show what you do if you only override one of the two:

class Foo(object):
    def _get_age(self):
        return 11

    def _set_age(self, age):
        self._age = age

    age = property(_get_age, _set_age)


class Bar(Foo):
    def _get_age(self):
        return 44

    age = property(_get_age, Foo._set_age)

This is a pretty contrived example, but you should get the idea.

Answer 2

I ran into problems setting a property in a parent class from a child class. The following workround extends a property of a parent but does so by calling the _set_age method of the parent directly. Wrinkled should always be correct. It is a little javathonic though.

import threading


class Foo(object):
    def __init__(self):
        self._age = 0

    def _get_age(self):
        return self._age

    def _set_age(self, age):
        self._age = age

    age = property(_get_age, _set_age)


class ThreadsafeFoo(Foo):

    def __init__(self):
        super(ThreadsafeFoo, self).__init__()
        self.__lock = threading.Lock()
        self.wrinkled = False

    def _get_age(self):
        with self.__lock:
             return super(ThreadsafeFoo, self).age

    def _set_age(self, value):
        with self.__lock:
            self.wrinkled = True if value > 40 else False
            super(ThreadsafeFoo, self)._set_age(value)

    age = property(_get_age, _set_age)

Answer 3

A possible workaround might look like:

class Foo:
    def __init__(self, age):
        self.age = age

    @property
    def age(self):
        print('Foo: getting age')
        return self._age

    @age.setter
    def age(self, value):
        print('Foo: setting age')
        self._age = value


class Bar(Foo):
    def __init__(self, age):
        self.age = age

    @property
    def age(self):
        return super().age

    @age.setter
    def age(self, value):
        super(Bar, Bar).age.__set__(self, value)

if __name__ == '__main__':
    f = Foo(11)
    print(f.age)
    b = Bar(44)
    print(b.age)

It prints

Foo: setting age
Foo: getting age
11
Foo: setting age
Foo: getting age
44

Got the idea from "Python Cookbook" by David Beazley & Brian K. Jones. Using Python 3.5.3 on Debian GNU/Linux 9.11 (stretch)

Answer 4

Same as @mr-b's but with decorator.

class Foo(object):
    def _get_meow(self):
        return self._meow + ' from a Foo'
    def _set_meow(self, value):
        self._meow = value
    @property
    def meow(self):
        return self._get_meow()
    @meow.setter
    def meow(self, value):
        self._set_meow(value)

This way, an override can be easily performed:

class Bar(Foo):
    def _get_meow(self):
        return super(Bar, self)._get_meow() + ', altered by a Bar'

Answer 5

I agree with your solution, which seems an on-the-fly template method. This article deals with your problem and provides exactly your solution.

Answer 6

I simply prefer to repeat the property() as well as you will repeat the @classmethod decorator when overriding a class method.

While this seems very verbose, at least for Python standards, you may notice:

1) for read only properties, property can be used as a decorator:

class Foo(object):
    @property
    def age(self):
        return 11

class Bar(Foo):
    @property
    def age(self):
        return 44

2) in Python 2.6, properties grew a pair of methods setter and deleter which can be used to apply to general properties the shortcut already available for read-only ones:

class C(object):
    @property
    def x(self):
        return self._x

    @x.setter
    def x(self, value):
        self._x = value