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Asked: 2026-06-12T01:30:30+00:00

I tried this example code: class testclass: classvar = ‘its classvariable LITERAL’ def __init__(self,x,y):

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I tried this example code:

class testclass:
    classvar = 'its classvariable LITERAL'
    def __init__(self,x,y):
        self.z = x
        self.classvar = 'its initvariable LITERAL'
        
        self.test()
    
    def test(self):
        print('class var',testclass.classvar)
        print('instance var',self.classvar)
        
if __name__ == '__main__':
    x = testclass(2,3)

I need some clarification. In both cases, I’m able to access the class attribute and instance in the test method.

So, suppose if I have to define a literal that needs to be used across all function, which would be the better way to define it: an instance attribute or a class attribute?

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1 Answer

  1. Editorial Team

    Class variables are quite good for “constants” used by all the instances (that’s all methods are technically). You could use module globals, but using a class variable makes it more clearly associated with the class.

    There are often uses for class variables that you actually change, too, but it’s usually best to stay away from them for the same reason you stay away from having different parts of your program communicate by altering global variables.

    Instance variables are for data that is actually part of the instance. They could be different for each particular instance, and they often change over the lifetime of a single particular instance. It’s best to use instance variables for data that is conceptually part of an instance, even if in your program you happen to only have one instance, or you have a few instances that in practice always have the same value.

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