Question

Referring to the first answer about python’s bound and unbound methods here, I have a question:

class Test:
    def method_one(self):
        print "Called method_one"
    @staticmethod
    def method_two():
        print "Called method_two"
    @staticmethod
    def method_three():
        Test.method_two()
class T2(Test):
    @staticmethod
    def method_two():
        print "T2"
a_test = Test()
a_test.method_one()
a_test.method_two()
a_test.method_three()
b_test = T2()
b_test.method_three()

produces output:

Called method_one
Called method_two
Called method_two
Called method_two

Is there a way to override a static method in python?

I expected b_test.method_three() to print “T2”, but it doesn’t (prints “Called method_two” instead).

Answer 1

In the form that you are using there, you are explicitly specifying what class’s static method_two to call. If method_three was a classmethod, and you called cls.method_two, you would get the results that you wanted:

class Test:
    def method_one(self):
        print "Called method_one"
    @staticmethod
    def method_two():
        print "Called method_two"
    @classmethod
    def method_three(cls):
        cls.method_two()

class T2(Test):
    @staticmethod
    def method_two():
        print "T2"

a_test = Test()
a_test.method_one()  # -> Called method_one
a_test.method_two()  # -> Called method_two
a_test.method_three()  # -> Called method_two

b_test = T2()
b_test.method_three()  # -> T2
Test.method_two()  # -> Called method_two
T2.method_three()  # -> T2