Classes and Objects

Classes are the fundamental building blocks of object-oriented programming in Python. A class defines a blueprint for creating objects (instances). The class definition typically includes attributes (data) and methods (functions). The __init__ method is a special method called when an object is created; it initializes the object's attributes. Instance attributes are specific to each object, while class attributes are shared by all instances. Methods are functions defined within a class that operate on instances. The first parameter of instance methods is conventionally named 'self' and refers to the instance itself. Objects are created by calling the class as if it were a function. Python's dynamic nature allows adding attributes to objects at runtime, though this is generally discouraged as it can make code harder to understand. Understanding classes and objects is the foundation of OOP in Python, enabling you to create custom data types that bundle together data and behavior in a organized, reusable way.