What is ‘super()’ in Python?

In Python, the super() function provides a way to access methods of a parent class from within a child class. this is especially useful when you want to extend or modify the behaviour of a method inherited from a base class without entirely rewriting it. Using super() makes your code more maintainable and less prone to errors, especially in complex inheritance scenarios.

The primary benefit of super() is that it avoids explicitly naming the parent class [[2]]. This becomes especially advantageous when dealing with multiple inheritance.

“super() lets you avoid referring to the base class explicitly, which can be nice.”

How ‘super()’ Works with Inheritance

When a class inherits from another class (or multiple classes), it gains access to the parent class’s methods and attributes. The super() function allows you to call these parent class methods from within the child class. This is commonly used in the __init__() method to initialize the parent class’s attributes before initializing the child class’s attributes.

In single inheritance scenarios, using super() can simplify your code and make it easier to debug [[1]]. However, the real power of super() becomes apparent in multiple inheritance.

‘super()’ and Multiple Inheritance

Multiple inheritance occurs when a class inherits from more than one parent class. In such cases, the order in which the parent classes are defined matters. Python uses a method resolution order (MRO) to determine the order in which methods are searched in the parent classes. super() ensures that methods are called in the correct order according to the MRO [[3]].

Consider a scenario where you have two parent classes, First and Second, and a child class that inherits from both.When you call super() in the child class, it will first look for the method in First, then in Second, and so on, following the MRO.