Python classmethod() is a built-in method “used as a decorator to define a class method”. Class methods are bound to the class and not the instance of the object. As a result, they can be called on the class itself or any instance of the class. The first parameter of a class method is a reference to the class itself, which is usually named “cls”.
Example
class MainClass:
main_var = 10
@classmethod
def main_class_method(cls):
print("This is a class method.")
print("The value of main_var is:", cls.main_var)
# Call the class method on the class itself
MainClass.main_class_method()
# Create an instance of MainClass
main_instance = MainClass()
# Call the class method on the instance
main_instance.main_class_method()
Output
This is a class method.
The value of main_var is: 10
This is a class method.
The value of main_var is: 10
In this code, the main_class_method() method is defined as a class method using the @classmethod decorator.
You can call this method on the class itself (MainClass.main_class_method()) or on any instance of the class (main_instance.main_class_method()).
The main advantage of class methods is that they can be overridden by subclasses.
This allows subclasses to provide a different implementation of the class method while still being able to call the original class method if needed.
