What Is Python __ Slots __?

Python __ Slots __ are a feature that allows a programmer to create an object with a predefined set of attributes. This is useful when creating objects that have a fixed set of attributes, such as a database record or an object in an API.

Slots are defined in the class definition, and each slot must be assigned a value when the object is created. For example,

class MyClass(object):
__slots__ = [‘a’, ‘b’]

def __init__(self, a, b):
self.a = a
self.b = b

In this example, the MyClass class has two slots, ‘a’ and ‘b’. When an instance of MyClass is created, the values of ‘a’ and ‘b’ must be provided. Slots can also be assigned default values:

def __init__(self, a=None, b=None):
self.b = b

If no values are provided for ‘a’ and ‘b’ when an instance of MyClass is created, they will default to None.

Slots are useful for creating objects with a fixed set of attributes. They can make code more efficient by reducing attribute lookUPS, and they can help to enforce data integrity by ensuring that only valid attributes can be assigned to an object.