The ‘super’ keyword is a basic concept in object-oriented programming (OOP),playing a crucial role in inheritance and method overriding. Its usage and behavior vary slightly depending on the programming language, but the core principle remains the same: to access members (methods and properties) of a parent class from within a child class.

‘super’ in Java

In Java, ‘super()’ is primarily used to call the constructor of the superclass (parent class). When a subclass object is created, the superclass constructor is implicitly called, ensuring that the superclass’s initialization logic is executed. If you don’t explicitly call a superclass constructor, Java automatically calls the no-argument constructor of the superclass [1].

“If you omit a call to the super constructor, the no-argument super constructor will be invoked automatically anyway.”

however, ‘super()’ becomes essential when the superclass constructor requires arguments. In such cases, the subclass must explicitly call the appropriate superclass constructor using ‘super(arguments)’ to pass the necessary values [1]. This ensures proper initialization of the inherited members.

‘super’ in Python

Python’s ‘super()’ function is particularly useful in the context of multiple inheritance. It provides a way to call methods from parent classes in a predictable order, following the method resolution order (MRO) [3]. The MRO defines the order in which Python searches for a method in a class hierarchy.

When dealing with multiple inheritance, calling ‘super()’ ensures that methods from all parent classes are invoked in the correct order, preventing potential conflicts and ensuring proper initialization of all inherited attributes. If ‘super’ is not called, the inheritance chain might potentially be broken [3].