Create a Python Subclass

Last Updated : 26 Nov, 2024

In Python, a subclass is a class that inherits attributes and methods from another class, known as the superclass or parent class. When you create a subclass, it can reuse and extend the functionality of the superclass. This allows you to create specialized versions of existing classes without having to rewrite common functionality. To create a subclass in Python, you define a new class and specify the superclass in parentheses after the class name.

Below is the step-by-step guide to How to Create a Python Subclass.

Creating a simple subclass

Animal is the base class with a __init__ method to initialize the name attribute and a sound method. Dog is a subclass Animal that inherits from it. It overrides the sound method to provide a specific implementation for dogs.

Instances of both classes are created and we demonstrate how attributes and methods can be accessed.

Python

class Animal:
    def __init__(self, name):
      
      	# Storing the name of the animal
        self.name = name  

    def sound(self):
      
        # This method should be implemented by subclasses
        raise NotImplementedError("Subclasses must implement this method")

class Dog(Animal):
    def sound(self):
      
        # Dog-specific sound
        return "Woof!"

# Creating instances
# Animal instance with generic name
a = Animal("Generic Animal")  

# Dog instance with name 'Buddy'
d = Dog("Buddy")  

# Accessing attributes and methods
print(a.name)  # Output: Generic Animal
print(d.name)    # Output: Buddy
print(d.sound())  # Output: Woof!

Output

Generic Animal
Buddy
Woof!

Syntax :

class SubclassName(BaseClassName):
# Class attributes and methods for the subclass
# ...

Adding additional attributes in the subclass

Shape is the base class with an __init__ method to initialize the color attribute and an abstract area method.Circle is a subclass of Shape that extends it by adding a radius attribute. It calls the superclass constructor using super() to initialize the common attribute. The area method is overridden in the Circle subclass to provide a specific implementation for calculating the area of a circle.

Python

class Shape:
    def __init__(self, color):
      
        # Storing the color of the shape
        self.color = color

    def area(self):
      
        # This method should be implemented by subclasses
        raise NotImplementedError("Subclasses must implement this method")

class Circle(Shape):
    def __init__(self, color, radius):
      
        # Initialize the parent class (Shape) with color
        super().__init__(color) 
        
        # Storing the radius of the circle
        self.radius = radius  

    def area(self):
      
        # Circle-specific area calculation
        return 3.14 * self.radius ** 2

# Creating instances
# Shape instance with color 'Red'
s = Shape("Red")  

# Circle instance with color 'Blue' and radius 5
c = Circle("Blue", 5)

# Accessing attributes and methods
print(s.color)  # Output: Red
print(c.color)  # Output: Blue
print(c.radius)  # Output: 5
print(c.area())  # Output: 78.5