Built In Class Attributes

Every Python class automatically comes with a set of built-in attributes that provide useful information about the class itself, without you needing to define them manually.

Common Built-In Class Attributes

• __dict__ - a dictionary containing the class's namespace, including its attributes and methods
• __doc__ - the class's docstring, if one has been written
• __name__ - the name of the class as a string
• __module__ - the name of the module in which the class was defined
• __bases__ - a tuple containing the class's parent (base) classes

class Student:
    """Represents a student enrolled in a course."""
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

print(Student.__name__)    # Student
print(Student.__doc__)     # Represents a student enrolled in a course.
print(Student.__module__)  # __main__

Coming Up Next

Next, you'll learn how Python controls access to class attributes and methods through public, protected, and private conventions.