What are weak references in Python and can you provide examples?

What are weak references in Python and can you provide examples?

Weak references allow the Python garbage collector to reclaim an object even if it is still referenced. This is useful for caching.

Can you show me a code example of how to create a weak reference?

Sure! You can use the weakref module. Here's a simple example:

import weakref

class MyClass:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

obj = MyClass('example')
weak_obj = weakref.ref(obj)

print(weak_obj())  # Outputs: <__main__.MyClass object at 0x...>

# Deleting the strong reference
 del obj
print(weak_obj())  # Outputs: None

What happens when the object is deleted?

When the object is deleted, the weak reference no longer points to it, and calling the weak reference returns None. This allows for memory to be freed.