Class and Object Terms

The foundations of Object-Oriented Programming is defining a Class

  • In Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), a class is a blueprint for creating an Object. (a data structure). An Object is used like many other Python variables.
  • A Class has ...
    • a collection of data, these are called Attributes and in Python are pre-fixed using the keyword self
    • a collection of Functions/Procedures. These are called *Methods when they exist inside a Class definition.
  • An Object is created from the Class/Template. Characteristics of objects ...
    • an Object is an Instance of the Class/Template
    • there can be many Objects created from the same Class
    • each Object contains its own Instance Data
    • the data is setup by the Constructor, this is the "init" method in a Python class
    • all methods in the Class/Template become part of the Object, methods are accessed using dot notation (object.method())
  • A Python Class allow for the definition of @ decorators, these allow access to instance data without the use of functions ...
    • @property decorator (aka getter). This enables developers to reference/get instance data in a shorthand fashion (object.name versus object.get_name())
    • @name.setter decorator (aka setter). This enables developers to update/set instance data in a shorthand fashion (object.name = "John" versus object.set_name("John"))
    • observe all instance data (self._name, self.email ...) are prefixed with "", this convention allows setters and getters to work with more natural variable name (name, email ...)

Class and Object Code

# Werkzeug is a collection of libraries that can be used to create a WSGI (Web Server Gateway Interface)
# A gateway in necessary as a web server cannot communicate directly with Python.
# In this case, imports are focused on generating hash code to protect passwords.
from werkzeug.security import generate_password_hash, check_password_hash
import json
from datetime import date


# Define a User Class/Template
# -- A User represents the data we want to manage
class User:    
    # constructor of a User object, initializes the instance variables within object (self)
    def __init__(self, name, uid, password, dob, age, classOf):
        self._name = name    # variables with self prefix become part of the object, 
        self._uid = uid
        self.set_password(password)
        self._dob = dob
        self._age = age
        self._classOf = classOf

    @property
    def classOf(self):
        return self._classOf

    @classOf.setter
    def classOf(self, classOf):
        self._classOf = classOf

    @property
    def age(self):
        return self._age

    @age.setter
    def age(self, age):
        self._age = age

    # a dob getter method, extracts datetime from object
    @property 
    def dob(self):
        return self._dob

    # a setter function, allows dob/age to be changed after birthdate
    @dob.setter
    def dob(self, dob):
        self._dob = dob

    # a name getter method, extracts name from object
    @property
    def name(self):
        return self._name
    
    # a setter function, allows name to be updated after initial object creation
    @name.setter
    def name(self, name):
        self._name = name
    
    # a getter method, extracts email from object
    @property
    def uid(self):
        return self._uid
    
    # a setter function, allows name to be updated after initial object creation
    @uid.setter
    def uid(self, uid):
        self._uid = uid
        
    # check if uid parameter matches user id in object, return boolean
    def is_uid(self, uid):
        return self._uid == uid
    
    @property
    def password(self):
        return self._password[0:10] + "..." # because of security only show 1st characters

    # update password, this is conventional setter
    def set_password(self, password):
        """Create a hashed password."""
        self._password = generate_password_hash(password, method='sha256')

    # check password parameter versus stored/encrypted password
    def is_password(self, password):
        """Check against hashed password."""
        result = check_password_hash(self._password, password)
        return result
    
    # output content using str(object) in human readable form, uses getter
    def __str__(self):
        return f'name: "{self.name}", id: "{self.uid}", psw: "{self.password}", dob: "{self.dob}", age: "{self.age}", classOf: "{self.classOf}"'

    # output command to recreate the object, uses attribute directly
    def __repr__(self):
        return f'Person(name={self._name}, uid={self._uid}, password={self._password}, dob={self._dob}, age={self._age}, classOf={self._classOf})'

def calculate_age(born):
    today = date.today()
    return today.year - born.year - ((today.month, today.day) < (born.month, born.day))

# tester method to print users
def tester(users, uid, psw, dob, age, classOf):
    result = None
    for user in users:
        # test for match in database
        if user.uid == uid and user.is_password(psw):  # check for match
            print("* ", end="")
            result = user
        # print using __str__ method
        print(str(user))
    return result
        

# place tester code inside of special if!  This allows include without tester running
if __name__ == "__main__":

    # define user objects
    u1 = User(name='Oprah Winfrey', uid='oprah', password='123yes', dob=date(1954, 1, 29), age = calculate_age(date(1954, 1, 29)), classOf = 1972)
    u2 = User(name='Nicholas Tesla', uid='nick', password='123nick', dob=date(1973, 4, 28), age = calculate_age(date(1973, 4, 28)), classOf = 1991)
    u3 = User(name='Graham Cracker', uid='graham', password='123smores', dob=date(2001, 5, 20), age = calculate_age(date(2001, 5, 20)), classOf = 2019)
    u4 = User(name='Whitney Houston', uid='whitney', password='numba1singer', dob=date(1964, 7, 9), age = calculate_age(date(1964, 7, 9)), classOf = 1982)
    u5 = User(name='Jeffrey Fonseca', uid='jeffrey', password='ilovemysister', dob=date(2005, 5, 8), age = calculate_age(date(2005, 5, 8)), classOf = 2023)
    u6 = User(name= 'Naja Fonseca', uid='naja', password='123amira', dob=date(2007, 9, 20), age = calculate_age(date(2007, 9, 20)), classOf = 2025)
    u7 = User(name='Sean Yeung', uid='syeung', password='123burger', dob=date(1995, 2, 3), age = calculate_age(date(1995, 2, 3)), classOf = 2013)

    # put user objects in list for convenience
    users = [u1, u2, u3, u4, u5, u6, u7]

    # Find user
    print("Test 1, find user 3")
    u = tester(users, u3.uid, "123smores", u3.dob, u3.age, u3.classOf)


    # Change user
    print("Test 2, change user 3")
    u.name = "John Mortensen"
    u.uid = "jm1021"
    u.set_password("123qwerty")
    u.dob = [1963, 1, 21]
    u.age = calculate_age(date(1963, 1, 21))
    u.classOf = 1981
    u = tester(users, u.uid, "123qwerty", u3.dob, u3.age, u3.classOf)


    # Make dictionary
    ''' 
    The __dict__ in Python represents a dictionary or any mapping object that is used to store the attributes of the object. 
    Every object in Python has an attribute that is denoted by __dict__. 
    Use the json.dumps() method to convert the list of Users to a JSON string.
    '''
    print("Test 3, make a dictionary")
    json_string = json.dumps([user.__dict__ for user in users]) 
    print(json_string)

    print("Test 4, make a dictionary")
    json_string = json.dumps([vars(user) for user in users]) 
    print(json_string)
Test 1, find user 3
name: "Oprah Winfrey", id: "oprah", psw: "sha256$l2r...", dob: "1954-01-29", age: "69", classOf: "1972"
name: "Nicholas Tesla", id: "nick", psw: "sha256$cP4...", dob: "1973-04-28", age: "49", classOf: "1991"
* name: "Graham Cracker", id: "graham", psw: "sha256$p2B...", dob: "2001-05-20", age: "21", classOf: "2019"
name: "Whitney Houston", id: "whitney", psw: "sha256$B8N...", dob: "1964-07-09", age: "58", classOf: "1982"
name: "Jeffrey Fonseca", id: "jeffrey", psw: "sha256$3lr...", dob: "2005-05-08", age: "17", classOf: "2023"
name: "Naja Fonseca", id: "naja", psw: "sha256$FqB...", dob: "2007-09-20", age: "15", classOf: "2025"
name: "Sean Yeung", id: "syeung", psw: "sha256$Pf6...", dob: "1995-02-03", age: "28", classOf: "2013"
Test 2, change user 3
name: "Oprah Winfrey", id: "oprah", psw: "sha256$l2r...", dob: "1954-01-29", age: "69", classOf: "1972"
name: "Nicholas Tesla", id: "nick", psw: "sha256$cP4...", dob: "1973-04-28", age: "49", classOf: "1991"
* name: "John Mortensen", id: "jm1021", psw: "sha256$T9U...", dob: "[1963, 1, 21]", age: "60", classOf: "1981"
name: "Whitney Houston", id: "whitney", psw: "sha256$B8N...", dob: "1964-07-09", age: "58", classOf: "1982"
name: "Jeffrey Fonseca", id: "jeffrey", psw: "sha256$3lr...", dob: "2005-05-08", age: "17", classOf: "2023"
name: "Naja Fonseca", id: "naja", psw: "sha256$FqB...", dob: "2007-09-20", age: "15", classOf: "2025"
name: "Sean Yeung", id: "syeung", psw: "sha256$Pf6...", dob: "1995-02-03", age: "28", classOf: "2013"
Test 3, make a dictionary
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
TypeError                                 Traceback (most recent call last)
/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb Cell 4 in <cell line: 113>()
    <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=143'>144</a> ''' 
    <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=144'>145</a> The __dict__ in Python represents a dictionary or any mapping object that is used to store the attributes of the object. 
    <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=145'>146</a> Every object in Python has an attribute that is denoted by __dict__. 
    <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=146'>147</a> Use the json.dumps() method to convert the list of Users to a JSON string.
    <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=147'>148</a> '''
    <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=148'>149</a> print("Test 3, make a dictionary")
--> <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=149'>150</a> json_string = json.dumps([user.__dict__ for user in users]) 
    <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=150'>151</a> print(json_string)
    <a href='vscode-notebook-cell:/Users/najafonseca/yeaaa/yeaaa/_notebooks/2023-01-10-PBL-model.ipynb#W3sZmlsZQ%3D%3D?line=152'>153</a> print("Test 4, make a dictionary")

File /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10/json/__init__.py:231, in dumps(obj, skipkeys, ensure_ascii, check_circular, allow_nan, cls, indent, separators, default, sort_keys, **kw)
    226 # cached encoder
    227 if (not skipkeys and ensure_ascii and
    228     check_circular and allow_nan and
    229     cls is None and indent is None and separators is None and
    230     default is None and not sort_keys and not kw):
--> 231     return _default_encoder.encode(obj)
    232 if cls is None:
    233     cls = JSONEncoder

File /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10/json/encoder.py:199, in JSONEncoder.encode(self, o)
    195         return encode_basestring(o)
    196 # This doesn't pass the iterator directly to ''.join() because the
    197 # exceptions aren't as detailed.  The list call should be roughly
    198 # equivalent to the PySequence_Fast that ''.join() would do.
--> 199 chunks = self.iterencode(o, _one_shot=True)
    200 if not isinstance(chunks, (list, tuple)):
    201     chunks = list(chunks)

File /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10/json/encoder.py:257, in JSONEncoder.iterencode(self, o, _one_shot)
    252 else:
    253     _iterencode = _make_iterencode(
    254         markers, self.default, _encoder, self.indent, floatstr,
    255         self.key_separator, self.item_separator, self.sort_keys,
    256         self.skipkeys, _one_shot)
--> 257 return _iterencode(o, 0)

File /Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/3.10/lib/python3.10/json/encoder.py:179, in JSONEncoder.default(self, o)
    160 def default(self, o):
    161     """Implement this method in a subclass such that it returns
    162     a serializable object for ``o``, or calls the base implementation
    163     (to raise a ``TypeError``).
   (...)
    177 
    178     """
--> 179     raise TypeError(f'Object of type {o.__class__.__name__} '
    180                     f'is not JSON serializable')

TypeError: Object of type date is not JSON serializable

Hacks

Add new attributes/variables to the Class. Make class specific to your CPT work.

  • Add classOf attribute to define year of graduation
    • Add setter and getter for classOf
  • Add dob attribute to define date of birth
    • This will require investigation into Python datetime objects as shown in example code below
    • Add setter and getter for dob
  • Add instance variable for age, make sure if dob changes age changes
    • Add getter for age, but don't add/allow setter for age
  • Update and format tester function to work with changes

Start a class design for each of your own Full Stack CPT sections of your project

  • Use new code cell in this notebook
  • Define init and self attributes
  • Define setters and getters
  • Make a tester

Start Code for Hacks

from datetime import date

def calculate_age(born):
    today = date.today()
    return today.year - born.year - ((today.month, today.day) < (born.month, born.day))

dob = date(2004, 12, 31)
age = calculate_age(dob)
print(age)
18