What are some examples of abstract classes in Python?

What are some examples of abstract classes in Python?

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. For example, you can create an abstract class called Animal with an abstract method make_sound().

Can you show me a code example of that?

Sure! Here's a simple example:

from abc import ABC, abstractmethod

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

class Dog(Animal):
    def make_sound(self):
        return 'Woof!'

class Cat(Animal):
    def make_sound(self):
        return 'Meow!'

In this example, Animal is an abstract class, and Dog and Cat are concrete classes that implement the make_sound method.

What happens if I try to instantiate the abstract class?

If you try to instantiate the abstract class Animal, you'll get a TypeError. For example:

animal = Animal()  # This will raise TypeError

Can abstract classes have regular methods?

Yes, abstract classes can have regular methods with implementations. These methods can be used by subclasses, providing shared functionality.