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From: Mel <mwilson@the-wire.com>
Newsgroups: comp.lang.python
Subject: Re: What's the best way to write this base class?
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Date: Sat, 18 Jun 2011 10:22:59 -0400
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Xref: x330-a1.tempe.blueboxinc.net comp.lang.python:7907

John Salerno wrote:
[ ... ]
> 1)
> class Character:
>     def __init__(self, name, base_health=50, base_resource=10):
>         self.name = name
>         self.health = base_health
>         self.resource = base_resource
> 
> 2)
> class Character:
>     base_health = 50
>     base_resource = 10
>     def __init__(self, name):
>         self.name = name
>         self.health = base_health
>         self.resource = base_resource
> 
> 3)
> BASE_HEALTH = 50
> BASE_RESOURCE = 10
> class Character:
>     def __init__(self, name):
>         self.name = name
>         self.health = BASE_HEALTH
>         self.resource = BASE_RESOURCE

For completeness, there's also 4)

Python 2.6.5 (r265:79063, Apr 16 2010, 13:09:56) 
[GCC 4.4.3] on linux2
Type "help", "copyright", "credits" or "license" for more information.
>>> class Character (object):
...     health = 50
...     def __init__ (self, name):
...         self.name = name
...         print self.name, self.health
... 
>>> Character ('Eunice')
Eunice 50


where the class attribute is used until it's overridden in the instance.

	Mel.