Question

Let’s say I have the following code:

class MyClass(object):
    def __init__(self, param):
        self.param = param

    @property
    def super_param(self):
        return Param(self, self.param)


class Param(object):
    def __init__(self, parent, param):
        self.param = param
        self.parent = parent

    @property
    def get_parent(self):
        return self.parent

My question is, is it considered bad practice to use the @property decorator in this way? Are there any pros or cons?

Answer 1

Why not just

class MyClass(object):
    def __init__(self, param):
        self.param = Param(self, param)

I don’t think there’s anything particularly wrong with returning a class from a property; a better question is, what are you trying to accomplish by doing so?

Edit: if you don’t want it changed, make it a private property:

class MyClass(object):
    def __init__(self, param):
        self._param = param     # naming convention, 'don't muck with it'
        # OR
        self.__param = param    # name mangled

    @property
    def param(self):
        return self._param