Question

What are the advantages of using the __init__ function to initiate a class?

Answer 1

Where is that in the course materials?

Answer 2

Just a question while I was tk-ing...most object-oriented programming choose to have a init function to iniatiate it.

Answer 3

Strictly speaking, it should be initializes a class instance, right?

Answer 4

Yup, but I don't really see why I shouldn't call the instance straight from the class instead. Unless, of course, I am supposed to use the class to start a function. However, in python 2.x classes need to be initiated, quite annoying actually.

Answer 5

That is sort of one of the reasons for going over to 3 although the transition will likely take some time.

Then we can have all the same arguments that we have in "grown up" languages all over again...:-)

Answer 6

LOL I getcha. Programming objects in python 2.x is a pain and normally I tk in Python 3.x instead. So, basically __init__ is just there to ...init a function contained in the class, then?

Answer 7

This will save me a lot of typing:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/8609153/why-do-we-use-init-in-python-classes

Answer 8

Very nice, I get it. It's just there to iniatialize the instances. thanks!

Answer 9

yw

Answer 10

you can initialize class values in the class. for example, directly initialize two values -
node = Node(a,b), where __init__ can be used to set class values. Same as
n = Node() # create a new Node thingy
n.var1 = a # assign a value to a class variable
n.var2 = b # assign another value
instead you have def __init__(self,a,b,):
self.var1 = a
self.var2 = b

it's useful if you want to initialize many objects of this class with different values.-
n1 = Node(1,2) n2 = Node(3,4) ....