What are Constructors and Destructors?

• Constructors and destructors are special methods in Object Oriented Programming (OOP) languages like Python.
• Constructors are used to initialize an object when it is created, while destructors are used to clean up memory when an object is no longer needed.

What is a Constructor in Python?

• A constructor in Python is a special method with the name __init__.
• The __init__ method is called automatically when an object is created, and it can be used to set initial values for object properties.

Syntax

The Syntax of a Constructor in Python is:

class ClassName:
    def __init__(self, arg1, arg2, ...):
        # Initialization code
        # ....

• The self parameter is used to refer to the current object being created.
• The constructor can accept any number of arguments, and these arguments can be used to set the initial values for object properties.

Example

class Student:
    def __init__(self, name, roll):
        self.name = name
        self.roll = roll

s = Student("John Doe", 123)
print(s.name) # John Doe
print(s.roll) # 123

What is a Destructor in Python?

• A destructor in Python is a special method with the name __del__.
• The __del__ method is called automatically when an object is no longer needed, and it can be used to clean up any resources used by the object.

Syntax

The Syntax of a Destructor in Python is:

class ClassName:
    def __del__(self):
        # Clean up code

• The self parameter is used to refer to the current object being destroyed.

Example

class Student:
    def __init__(self, name, roll):
        self.name = name
        self.roll = roll
        
    def __del__(self):
        print("Deleting object")

s = Student("John Doe", 123)
del s # Deleting object

Note:

• In Python, the garbage collector automatically frees up memory used by objects that are no longer needed, so it is not necessary to explicitly define destructors in most cases.
• However, destructors can still be useful for releasing resources like file handles or network connections when an object is no longer needed.