Self parameter
A self parameter is a method receiver representing the instance or object on which the method operates or is invoked.
Python Workout: 50 ten-minute exercises
self is the conventional first parameter of a Python instance method that refers to the instance on which the method was invoked.
- How it is used
- Uses self to attach state to instances and let inherited methods select instance- or class-specific attributes.
- How deep it goes
- Explains parameter binding, attribute creation, lookup, inheritance, and object initialization, while stopping short of detailed method-binding internals.
- Examples
- Demonstrates Scoop and Person initialization, Foo attribute access, Bowl lookup, and inherited Animal representations.
- What you can do after
- Apply self in instance methods to initialize attributes, access object state, and reuse behavior across subclasses.
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The Quick Python Book, Fourth Edition
self is the conventional first parameter name that refers to the instance on which a Python method is invoked.
- How it is used
- Identifies the current instance when methods initialize or use its fields.
- How deep it goes
- Explains implicit argument passing, explicit class-based calls, and namespace access without descending into method implementation internals.
- Examples
- Uses a circle’s radius and area to distinguish `self.radius` from a local parameter and compare method-call forms.
- What you can do after
- Evaluate/understand it when reading method definitions and calls, including which instance supplies a method’s first argument.
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Get Programming: Learn to code with Python
self is the conventional first parameter of a Python instance method that refers to the instance on which the method is called.
- How it is used
- Uses self to connect class methods with each object's data and operations.
- How deep it goes
- Explains declarations, attribute access, automatic argument assignment, and per-instance effects through small class examples.
- Examples
- Uses Circle and Door classes, radius attributes, method calls, independent instances, and short method-writing exercises.
- What you can do after
- Build instance methods that initialize, change, retrieve, and calculate values stored on individual objects.
Read how Get Programming: Learn to code with Python explains self parameter →
Related concepts
- methodused by · A method is a callable operation associated with an object or type and invoked through that association.
- mutable referencecontrasts with · A mutable reference is a reference or handle through which the referenced value or storage location may be modified, subject to language-specific access rules.
- objectequivalent to · A computational object is a runtime entity or structured value representing data, state, or a resource, with properties or operations defined by its programming model.
- attributeuses · An attribute is a named property, value, or piece of information associated with an entity, object, or program element.
- class methodcontrasts with · A class method is a method associated with a class rather than a particular instance and invoked through a class or class-related object.
- static methodcontrasts with · A static method is a function associated with a type or enclosing scope rather than an object instance, and callable without an instance receiver.
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