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Python Inheritance

Inheritance allows us to define a class that inherits all the methods and properties from another class. The parent class is known as the base class, and the child class is known as the derived class.

Example 1: Single Inheritance

Create a base class Person and a derived class Student.

# Single inheritance
class Person:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name
    def display_name(self):
        print("Name:", self.name)

class Student(Person):
    def study(self):
        print(f"{self.name} is studying.")

student = Student("Riya")
student.display_name()
student.study()

Name: Riya

Riya is studying.

Example 2: Multilevel Inheritance

Create a class hierarchy where Animal is the base class, Mammal inherits from Animal, and Dog inherits from Mammal.

# Multilevel inheritance
class Animal:
    def eat(self):
        print("Eating")

class Mammal(Animal):
    def walk(self):
        print("Walking")

class Dog(Mammal):
    def bark(self):
        print("Barking")

dog = Dog()
dog.eat()
dog.walk()
dog.bark()

Eating

Walking

Barking

Example 3: Multiple Inheritance

Create a class Employee that inherits from both Person and Worker.

# Multiple inheritance
class Person:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

class Worker:
    def work(self):
        print(f"{self.name} is working.")

class Employee(Person, Worker):
    def __init__(self, name, position):
        Person.__init__(self, name)
        self.position = position
    def show_position(self):
        print(f"Position: {self.position}")

employee = Employee("Tamilmaran", "Engineer")
employee.show_position()
employee.work()

Position: Engineer

Tamilmaran is working.

Example 4: Overriding Methods

Override a method in the child class.

# Method overriding
class Vehicle:
    def start(self):
        print("Starting the vehicle")

class Car(Vehicle):
    def start(self):
        print("Starting the car")

car = Car()
car.start()

Starting the car

Example 5: Using super() Function

Call the parent class method using super().

# Using super()
class Parent:
    def greet(self):
        print("Hello from Parent")

class Child(Parent):
    def greet(self):
        super().greet()
        print("Hello from Child")

child = Child()
child.greet()

Hello from Parent

Hello from Child

Example 6: Hierarchical Inheritance

Create multiple classes inheriting from a single base class.

# Hierarchical inheritance
class Fruit:
    def info(self):
        print("This is a fruit.")

class Apple(Fruit):
    def taste(self):
        print("Apples are sweet.")

class Orange(Fruit):
    def taste(self):
        print("Oranges are citrus.")

apple = Apple()
orange = Orange()
apple.info()
apple.taste()
orange.info()
orange.taste()

This is a fruit.

Apples are sweet.

This is a fruit.

Oranges are citrus.

Explanation: Inheritance allows for code reusability and logical hierarchy. Overriding methods and using super() help manage method resolution in inheritance hierarchies.

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