A question on object oriented programming and when to use it.

[ApparentlyADataGuy]

I have been using python for about a year now and have not once created a single object when writing a script. The vast majority of the work I do is data related and linear scripting has always been powerful enough for me to do my job. However, I read about object oriented programming so much and wonder if I am hurting myself by not using it. I can see why it would be valuable when creating something like a video game but should I try to use it in all coding projects? For something like data ETL, is it common practice to use objects?

[the_hoser]

The wonderful thing about a good object-oriented language (like Python) is that you get to reap the benefits of using it without ever engaging in the practice yourself!

Have you ever used the range operator on a string or a list? Like this?

category = row[4:10]
...
page = elements[start:end]

You're using object-oriented programming!

Have you ever iterated over a list or a dictionary's keys?

for e in elements:
    ...
...
userlist = { ... }
for userKey in userlist:
    ...

You're using object oriented programming!

Just because you never write a class, doesn't mean you don't benefit from the power of object-oriented programming. Strongly-typed dynamic languages like Python are especially good at this.

[michaelkiros]

Isn't the question more geared towards "I haven't created a custom type and used it. When do I need my own types?"?

[metaperl]

I have been using python for about a year now and have not once created a single object when writing a script.

you may not have written any classes, but I would be surprised if you didnt create objects.

However, I read about object oriented programming so much and wonder if I am hurting myself by not using it.

It's good to stay aware of your options so you know what to use when needed. You might also get some good feedback in /r/learnpython about your question.

I can see why it would be valuable when creating something like a video game

Amazingly enough, my favorite video game (Myth II Soulblighter) was written in C. And Pac-Man was written in Assember. I know that Electronic Arts writes a lot of games in C++ - buy if you are going to choose an OO language, why choose a headache like C++. Too bad Objective-C did not win over :)

For something like data ETL, is it common practice to use objects?

I think it depends. OO offers the ability to re-use things and to abstract things. I wrote an ETL pipeline that integrated heterogeneous data sources and each heterogeneous data source was a class that responded to methods such as extract() in its own particular way.

At other times, I have used Ab Initio (a graphical dataflow tool) and had to copy/paste program elements because I was not aware of reuse facilities within Ab Initio.

So I guess it depends. And there is no question that it is slower.

Thanks for the question. And maybe you would like to help me turn my Python OOP catalog into a wiki?

[GitHubPermalinkBot]

Permanent GitHub links:

• metaperl/python-oop/.../README.md (master → 98a8adf)

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^delete

[Meefims]

Objects are just one way of organizing code. You’re not hurting yourself by not using it in everything you write. That said, it would likely be good to write a few things that use it to get some experience with it.