{"id":2645,"date":"2021-10-25T02:17:44","date_gmt":"2021-10-25T02:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pythontutorial.net\/?page_id=2645"},"modified":"2025-03-31T10:12:51","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T10:12:51","slug":"python-super","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.pythontutorial.net\/python-oop\/python-super\/","title":{"rendered":"Python super"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Summary<\/strong>: in this tutorial, you will learn how to use the Python super()<\/code> to delegate to the parent class when overriding methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Introduction to the Python super #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, define an Employee<\/code> class<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n

class<\/span> Employee<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self, name, base_pay, bonus)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        self.name = name\n        self.base_pay = base_pay\n        self.bonus = bonus\n\n    def<\/span> get_pay<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        return<\/span> self.base_pay + self.bonus<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Second, define the SalesEmployee<\/code> class that inherits from the Employee<\/code> class:<\/p>\n\n\n
class<\/span> SalesEmployee<\/span>(Employee)<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self, name, base_pay, bonus, sales_incentive)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        self.name = name\n        self.base_pay = base_pay\n        self.bonus = bonus\n        self.sales_incentive = sales_incentive\n\n    def<\/span> get_pay<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        return<\/span> self.base_pay + self.bonus + self.sales_incentive<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
super().__init__() #<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The __init__()<\/code> method of the SalesEmployee<\/code> class has some parts that are the same as the ones in the __init__()<\/code> method of the Employee<\/code> class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To avoid duplication, you can call the __init__()<\/code> method of Employee<\/code> class from the __init__()<\/code> method of the SalesEmployee<\/code> class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To reference the Employee<\/code> class in the SalesEmployee<\/code> class, you use the super()<\/code>. The super()<\/code> returns a reference of the parent class from a child class. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following redefines the SalesEmployee<\/code> class that uses the super()<\/code> to call the __init__()<\/code> method of the Employee<\/code> class:<\/p>\n\n\n
class<\/span> SalesEmployee<\/span>(Employee)<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self, name, base_pay, bonus, sales_incentive)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        super().__init__(name, base_pay, bonus)\n        self.sales_incentive = sales_incentive\n\n    def<\/span> get_pay<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        return<\/span> self.base_pay + self.bonus + self.sales_incentive<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Delegating to other methods in the parent class #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The get_pay()<\/code> method of the SalesEmployee<\/code> class has some logic that is already defined in the get_pay()<\/code> method of the Employee<\/code> class. Therefore, you can reuse this logic in the get_pay()<\/code> method of the SalesEmployee<\/code> class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To do that, you can call the get_pay()<\/code> method of the Employee<\/code> class in the get_pay()<\/code> method of SalesEmployee<\/code> class as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n
class<\/span> SalesEmployee<\/span>(Employee)<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self, name, base_pay, bonus, sales_incentive)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        super().__init__(name, base_pay, bonus)\n        self.sales_incentive = sales_incentive\n\n    def<\/span> get_pay<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        return<\/span> super().get_pay() + self.sales_incentive<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
The following calls the get_pay()<\/code> method of the Employee<\/code> class from the get_pay()<\/code> method in the SalesEmployee<\/code> class:<\/p>\n\n\n
super().get_pay()<\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
When you call the get_pay()<\/code> method from an instance of the SalesEmployee<\/code> class, it calls the get_pay()<\/code> method from the parent class (Employee<\/code>) and return the sum of the result of the super().get_pay()<\/code> method with the sales_incentive<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Put it all together #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The following shows the complete code:<\/p>\n\n\n
class<\/span> Employee<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self, name, base_pay, bonus)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        self.name = name\n        self.base_pay = base_pay\n        self.bonus = bonus\n\n    def<\/span> get_pay<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        return<\/span> self.base_pay + self.bonus\n\n\nclass<\/span> SalesEmployee<\/span>(Employee)<\/span>:<\/span>\n    def<\/span> __init__<\/span>(self, name, base_pay, bonus, sales_incentive)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        super().__init__(name, base_pay, bonus)\n        self.sales_incentive = sales_incentive\n\n    def<\/span> get_pay<\/span>(self)<\/span>:<\/span>\n        return<\/span> super().get_pay() + self.sales_incentive\n\n\nif<\/span> __name__ == '__main__'<\/span>:\n    sales_employee = SalesEmployee('John'<\/span>, 5000<\/span>, 1000<\/span>, 2000<\/span>)\n    print(sales_employee.get_pay())  # 8000<\/span><\/code><\/span>Code language:<\/span> Python<\/span> (<\/span>python<\/span>)<\/span><\/small><\/pre>\n\n\n
Output:<\/p>\n\n\n
8000<\/code><\/span><\/pre>\n\n\n
Summary #<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Try it<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
When you create an instance of the SalesEmployee<\/code> class, Python will execute the __init__()<\/a><\/code> method in the SalesEmployee<\/code> class. In turn, this __init__()<\/code> method calls the __init__()<\/code> method of the Employee<\/code> class to initialize the name<\/code>, base_pay<\/code>, and bonus<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The SalesEmployee<\/code> class has four instance variables name<\/code>, base_pay<\/code>, bonus<\/code>, and sales_incentive<\/code>. It has the get_pay()<\/code> method that overrides<\/a> the get_pay()<\/code> method in the Employee<\/code> class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Employee<\/code> class has three instance variables<\/a> name<\/code>, base_pay<\/code>, and bonus<\/code>. It also has the get_pay()<\/code> method that returns the total of base_pay<\/code> and bonus<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n