The reason you need to use self is because Python does not use special syntax to refer to instance attributes. Python decided to do methods in a way that makes the instance to which the method belongs be passed automatically but not received automatically, the first parameter of methods is the instance the method is called on. That makes methods entirely the same as functions and leaves the actual name to use up to you (although self is the convention, and people will generally frown at you when you use something else.) self is not special to the code, it's just another object.
Python could have done something else to distinguish normal names from attributes -- special syntax like Ruby has, or requiring declarations like C++ and Java do, or perhaps something yet more different -- but it didn't. Python's all for making things explicit, making it obvious what's what, and although it doesn't do it entirely everywhere, it does do it for instance attributes. That's why assigning to an instance attribute needs to know what instance to assign to, and that's why it needs self.
python - What is the purpose of the `self` parameter? Why is it needed? - Stack Overflow
Understanding classes, init and self
Can Someone explain to me what is self and init in python?
Python class __init__ and self
Videos
The reason you need to use self is because Python does not use special syntax to refer to instance attributes. Python decided to do methods in a way that makes the instance to which the method belongs be passed automatically but not received automatically, the first parameter of methods is the instance the method is called on. That makes methods entirely the same as functions and leaves the actual name to use up to you (although self is the convention, and people will generally frown at you when you use something else.) self is not special to the code, it's just another object.
Python could have done something else to distinguish normal names from attributes -- special syntax like Ruby has, or requiring declarations like C++ and Java do, or perhaps something yet more different -- but it didn't. Python's all for making things explicit, making it obvious what's what, and although it doesn't do it entirely everywhere, it does do it for instance attributes. That's why assigning to an instance attribute needs to know what instance to assign to, and that's why it needs self.
Let's say you have a class ClassA which contains a method methodA defined as:
class ClassA:
def methodA(self, arg1, arg2):
... # do something
and objectA is an instance of this class.
Now when objectA.methodA(arg1, arg2) is called, python internally converts it for you as:
ClassA.methodA(objectA, arg1, arg2)
The self variable refers to the object itself.
I tried learning OOP from many video tutorials and documentation but I'm not understanding why we really need it or what is the use of it.
So it would be really helpful if someone could explain to me like a child what is the need for self and init in python.
Also, If you could tell me how did you fully grasp the concept of OOP in Python that would be really beneficial to me.
Thank You.