Python calling method without 'self'

Question

So I just started programming in python and I don't understand the whole reasoning behind 'self'. I understand that it is used almost like a global variable, so that data can be passed between different methods in the class. I don't understand why you need to use it when your calling another method in the same class. If I am already in that class, why do I have to tell it??

example, if I have: Why do I need self.thing()?

class bla:
    def hello(self):
        self.thing()

    def thing(self):
        print "hello"

Open a Python interpreter and run `import this` for an explanation of most of Python's language decisions. — Colin Valliant, Sep 08 '13 at 02:33
@ColinValliant: Obscure and versatile doctrinal statements like "*Now is better than never. Although never is often better than *right* now.*" can only be interpreted by an enlightened Pythoness and don't really help answering the question. — mins, Aug 03 '17 at 11:59

score 74 · Answer 1 · answered Sep 08 '13 at 04:38

74

Also you can make methods in class static so no need for self. However, use this if you really need that.

Yours:

class bla:
    def hello(self):
        self.thing()

    def thing(self):
        print "hello"

static edition:

class bla:
    @staticmethod
    def hello():
        bla.thing()

    @staticmethod
    def thing():
        print "hello"

answered Sep 08 '13 at 04:38

Developer

8,258
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3

I know this is an older post, but would you mind to give an example of a scenario in which one would use a static method? – uitty400 Aug 19 '16 at 11:57
3

@uitty400 Static methods operate on one or more static variables. For instance, you have a static variable keeping count of the number of instances created so far. A static method could then be used to, say, increment that counter. – John Strood Aug 16 '18 at 08:19
2

@uitty400 non-static methods can access static variables, but static methods can't access non-static variables. – John Strood Aug 16 '18 at 08:20
@Developer, you don't need the self argument in `thing` definition. This is support for not using `@staticmethod` at all and just referring to the methods by the class name prefix – matsuo_basho Aug 22 '21 at 16:05
Even if I do not use `self` , it works without using the `@staticmethod` decorator. – Volatil3 Sep 06 '22 at 05:53
@Volatil3 that is correct. But it is a good practice to marc the method as static to show other developers it was *intended* to be static and consequently not having the 'self' – Alexander Khomenko Jan 13 '23 at 12:02

Bleeding Fingers · Answer 2 · 2013-09-08T02:40:00.860

15

One reason is to refer to the method of that particular class's instance within which the code is be executed.

This example might help:

def hello():
    print "global hello"

class bla:
    def hello(self):
        self.thing()
        hello()

    def thing(self):
        print "hello"

b = bla()
b.hello()
>>> hello
global hello

You can think of it, for now, to be namespace resolution.

edited Sep 08 '13 at 02:40

answered Sep 08 '13 at 02:32

Bleeding Fingers

6,993
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74

score 5 · Answer 3 · answered Apr 29 '20 at 07:15

5

I have tried below code that declared method with out parameter in class and called method using class name.

class Employee:

    def EmpWithOutPar():
        return 'Hi you called Employee'

print(Employee.EmpWithOutPar())

output : Hi you called Employee

answered Apr 29 '20 at 07:15

karthi

450
3
14

what does the decorator `@staticmethod` from @Developers answers is then needed for? – Björn Jul 13 '23 at 13:00
Just to clarify, the difference is that you call the class directly and do not instatiate it (`emp = Employee()`), thus you do not need the decorator (`@staticmethod`). However if one wants a class that you can instatiate as well as has the ability to call static methods you can use the decorator. – Björn Jul 13 '23 at 13:21

score 2 · Answer 4 · answered Sep 08 '13 at 02:45

The short answer is "because you can def thing(args) as a global function, or as a method of another class. Take this (horrible) example:

def thing(args):
    print "Please don't do this."

class foo:
    def thing(self,args):
        print "No, really. Don't ever do this."

class bar:
    def thing(self,args):
        print "This is completely unrelated."

This is bad. Don't do this. But if you did, you could call thing(args) and something would happen. This can potentially be a good thing if you plan accordingly:

class Person:
    def bio(self):
        print "I'm a person!"

class Student(Person):
    def bio(self):
        Person.bio(self)
        print "I'm studying %s" % self.major

The above code makes it so that if you create an object of Student class and call bio, it'll do all the stuff that would have happened if it was of Person class that had its own bio called and it'll do its own thing afterwards.

This gets into inheritance and some other stuff you might not have seen yet, but look forward to it.

score 2 · Answer 5 · answered Jul 23 '14 at 01:18

2

To me, self like a scope definer, with self.foo() and self.bar indicating the function and the parameter defined in the class and not those defines in the other places.

answered Jul 23 '14 at 01:18

frankwang4strangers

21
2

score 0 · Answer 6 · answered Sep 08 '13 at 02:42

There might be another function with the same name outside your class. self is an object reference to the object itself, therefore, they are same. Python methods are not called in the context of the object itself. self in Python may be used to deal with custom object models or something.

Python calling method without 'self'

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