What method gets called when you display an object?

Question

Assume I have a class that inherits from object. I create an instance of it pass that to print. It will display something like <__main__.ObjName object at 0xxxxxx>. Is there an object method that can be overridden to provide a return value when the object is accessed this way?

if you don't define str then the output is using repr – Padraic Cunningham Jun 09 '15 at 00:39 — Padraic Cunningham, Jun 09 '15 at 00:39

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Jun 09 '15 at 00:31

4

You're looking for __repr__ and __str__.

answered Jun 09 '15 at 00:31

tzaman

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This was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks! Any key pitfalls using one of these vs the other? – Lother Jun 09 '15 at 00:40
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@Lother have a look at [this question](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1436703/difference-between-str-and-repr-in-python) for a comparison. – George Brighton Jun 09 '15 at 00:41

score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Jun 09 '15 at 00:33

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Either __repr__or __str__ will do it.

answered Jun 09 '15 at 00:33

John

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What method gets called when you display an object?

2 Answers2