Question

The __init__() function gets called when object is created.
Is it ok to call an object __init__() function again, after its been created?

instance = cls(p1=1, p2=2)
# some code
instance.__init__(p1=123, p2=234)
# some more code
instance.__init__(p1=23, p2=24)

why would anyone wanna call __init__() on an object that is already created?

good question. i wanna re-initialize the instance’s fields.

Answer 1

It’s fine to call __init__ more than once on an object, as long as __init__ is coded with the effect you want to obtain (whatever that may be). A typical case where it happens (so you’d better code __init__ appropriately!-) is when your class’s __new__ method returns an instance of the class: that does cause __init__ to be called on the returned instance (for what might be the second, or twentieth, time, if you keep "recycling" instances via your __new__!-).

Some additional guidance can be found here. Multiple calls to init during object initialization