Method Overriding

In Python, method overriding happens when a child class defines a method that already exists in its parent class, but it changes (or overrides) how the method works. Think of it like this:

• The parent class provides a general way of doing something.
• The child class wants to do the same thing, but in a different or more specific way.

By overriding a method, the child class "replaces" the parent class’s method with its own version.

Why use method overriding?

• Customization: Allows the child class to change how a method works without changing the parent class.
• Specialization: Gives the child class more specific behavior while still inheriting general features from the parent class.
• Flexibility: You can extend or improve functionality in the child class based on your needs.

How does method overriding work in Python?

Parent class

Let’s start with a parent class that has a method.

class Animal:
    def speak(self):
        return "I make a sound"

Child class

Now, the child class inherits from the Animal class and overrides the speak() method to make it more specific (e.g., a dog has its own way of speaking).

class Dog(Animal):
    def speak(self):
        return "Woof!"

Using the classes

Now, when we create an instance of Dog, it uses its own version of the speak() method, not the one from Animal.

# Create a Dog object
dog = Dog()

# Call speak method
print(dog.speak())  # Output: Woof! (This is the overridden method)

If we created an Animal object, it would still use the original speak() method:

# Create an Animal object
animal = Animal()

# Call speak method
print(animal.speak())  # Output: I make a sound

Real-world analogy

Think of a parent class as a general job description:

• Example: A job title of "Employee" might have a method called work(), which just means "do work".

A child class is a more specific version of that job:

• Example: "Engineer" is a child of "Employee", and engineers override the work() method to make it something specific to their job (like "design and build systems").