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Multilevel Inheritance in Python

 

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Multilevel Inheritance in Python

Multilevel inheritance is a type of inheritance where a class inherits from another class, which in turn inherits from another class, forming a hierarchy of classes. This allows for the creation of a more specific subclass that builds upon the functionality of its superclass and the superclass's superclass.

Example of Multilevel Inheritance

Let's look at an example to understand how multilevel inheritance works in Python.


# Base class
class Animal:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

    def speak(self):
        return "Animal speaks"

# Intermediate class
class Mammal(Animal):
    def __init__(self, name, type):
        Animal.__init__(self, name)
        self.type = type

    def speak(self):
        return "Mammal speaks"

# Derived class
class Dog(Mammal):
    def __init__(self, name, type, breed):
        Mammal.__init__(self, name, type)
        self.breed = breed

    def speak(self):
        return "Dog barks"

# Create an instance of the derived class
dog = Dog("Buddy", "Domestic", "Golden Retriever")
print(dog.speak())  
    # Output: Dog barks
Explanation:

In this example, we have three classes: Animal, Mammal, and Dog. The Animal class is the base class with an __init__ method and a speak method. The Mammal class is an intermediate class that inherits from Animal and adds its own __init__ and speak methods. The Dog class is the derived class that inherits from Mammal, adding an additional attribute breed and overriding the speak method to provide its own implementation.

Advantages of Multilevel Inheritance
  • Hierarchical Classification: Allows for the creation of a clear hierarchical structure, making it easier to understand relationships between classes.
  • Code Reusability: Promotes code reuse by allowing derived classes to inherit and extend the functionality of base classes.
  • Specialization: Enables the creation of more specialized classes that build on the functionality of more general classes.
Disadvantages of Multilevel Inheritance
  • Increased Complexity: Can increase the complexity of the class hierarchy, making it more difficult to understand and maintain.
  • Dependency Chain: Creates a dependency chain where changes in base classes can affect all derived classes, potentially leading to unintended side effects.
Method Resolution Order (MRO)

In multilevel inheritance, the order in which methods are resolved is determined by the Method Resolution Order (MRO). The mro() method can be used to display the MRO of a class.


print(Dog.mro())  
    # Output: [<class 'Dog'>, <class 'Mammal'>, <class 'Animal'>, <class 'object'>]
Key Points
  • Multilevel inheritance allows a class to inherit from another class, which in turn inherits from another class, forming a hierarchy.
  • Provides hierarchical classification, code reuse, and specialization of classes.
  • Can increase complexity and create a dependency chain, requiring careful management.
  • Method Resolution Order (MRO) determines the order in which methods are resolved in the class hierarchy.
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