How to Use the Python str() Method

09/15/2021

Contents

In this article, you will learn how to use the Python __str__() method.

Python str() Method

The __str__() method is a special method in Python that is used to define how an object should be converted to a string representation. This method is called by the built-in str() function and also by the print() function when an object is passed to it. Here’s an example of how to use the __str__() method in Python:

class Person:
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
        self.age = age
    
    def __str__(self):
        return f"{self.name} is {self.age} years old"

In this example, we define a class called Person with an __init__() method that initializes the name and age attributes of a Person object. We also define a __str__() method that returns a string representation of the Person object.

To create an instance of the Person class and print it using the print() function, we can do the following:

person = Person("John Doe", 30)
print(person)

# Output:
# John Doe is 30 years old

In this example, the __str__() method is called when the person object is passed to the print() function. The __str__() method returns a formatted string representation of the Person object, which is then printed to the console.

By implementing the __str__() method in a class, you can customize the string representation of objects created from that class, making it easier to debug and read.

Python __str__() Method

Python str() Method