How to Use the Python getattr() Function

09/18/2021

Contents

In this article, you will learn how to use the Python getattr() function.

Python getattr() Function

The Python getattr() function is a built-in function that returns the value of a named attribute of an object. Here’s how you can use the getattr() function in Python:

Syntax
getattr(object, name[, default])
Parameters
  • object: This is the object whose attribute you want to access.
  • name: This is the name of the attribute you want to access.
  • default (optional): This is the default value to be returned if the named attribute is not found.
Example

Here are some examples of using getattr():

Accessing a class attribute
class MyClass:
    x = 10
    def __init__(self):
        self.y = 20

obj = MyClass()
print(getattr(MyClass, 'x'))  # Output: 10
Accessing an instance attribute
class MyClass:
    x = 10
    def __init__(self):
        self.y = 20

obj = MyClass()
print(getattr(obj, 'y'))  # Output: 20
Specifying a default value
class MyClass:
    x = 10
    def __init__(self):
        self.y = 20

obj = MyClass()
print(getattr(obj, 'z', 'Not Found'))  # Output: Not Found

In this example, the named attribute z does not exist in the obj object. Therefore, the getattr() function returns the default value ‘Not Found’.

#Python