Attributes

An attribute or field is a variable that is bound to an object. It is a property that describes the object. Attributes are defined in the class and are accessed using the dot notation.

How to create attributes

class Beam:
    def __init__(self, length, width, height):
        self.length = length
        self.width = width
        self.height = height

    def calculate_volume(self):
        volume = self.length * self.width * self.height
        return volume

➔➔ Note that attributes are created with the . and the name of the attribute

Access/modify attributes

Attributes can be then modified by assigning a new value to them. This is done by using the dot notation and the assignment operator =.

# class instantiation
beam = Beam(10, 20, 30)

# accessing attributes
print(beam.length)  # 10
print(beam.width)   # 20
print(beam.height)  # 30

# store the attribute in a new variable
length = beam.length
width = beam.width
height = beam.height

# modify the attribute
beam.length = 100
beam.width = 200
beam.height = 300

➔➔➔ *Attention: in reality in Python you can also add new attributes once the class is created:

beam = Beam(10, 20, 30)
beam.new_attribute = 100

Although it is considered bad practice, it is technically possible.