What are abstract classes in Python and how do I use them?

What are abstract classes in Python and how do I use them?

Abstract classes in Python are classes that cannot be instantiated and are meant to be subclassed. They can define abstract methods that must be implemented by subclasses.

Can you give me an example of an abstract class?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

from abc import ABC, abstractmethod

class Animal(ABC):
    @abstractmethod
    def sound(self):
        pass

class Dog(Animal):
    def sound(self):
        return 'Bark'

class Cat(Animal):
    def sound(self):
        return 'Meow'

How do I enforce that subclasses implement certain methods?

You can use the @abstractmethod decorator in your abstract class. Any subclass must implement these methods to be instantiated.

What happens if a subclass doesn't implement an abstract method?

If a subclass does not implement an abstract method, it cannot be instantiated, and you'll get a TypeError.