What does Python _init_ and self do?

Question

In a method like:

def method(self, something):

    def __init__(?):

        ....

    ....

What does self do? What is it meant to be?

What does the __init__ method do and why is it necessary?

Answer 1

In python the self keyword is used to refer to the current object. If you have used other programming languages like java and c++, it is very similar to the 'this' keyword in other languages.

The init method is called the constructor, it is run whenever an Object of the current class is instantiated. It is used to set properties on an object when instantiating (creating) an object.

The self keyword allows us to refer to the properties of current object, to give you an example: 

class Person:

    def __init__(self, name):

        self.name = name

david = Person("David")

print(david.name)

Here's a video to help you get a more in-depth understanding about python and oop: