Dataclasses in Python: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Dataclasses in Python are a convenient way to create classes that primarily store data. They provide a concise syntax for defining classes without explicitly writing boilerplate code for special methods like __init__, __repr__, __eq__, and __hash__.

Let’s dive into a detailed tutorial on dataclasses with examples:

1. Importing dataclass module:

To use dataclasses, you need to import the dataclass module from the typing module or, if you're using Python 3.7 or later, you can import dataclass directly from the dataclasses module.

from dataclasses import dataclass

2. Basic Usage:

To create a dataclass, decorate a class with the @dataclass decorator. You can define class variables and their types using type annotations.

from dataclasses import dataclass

@dataclass
class Person:
    name: str
    age: int

3. Instantiating Objects:

You can instantiate objects of the dataclass like any other class.

person1 = Person("Alice", 30)
person2 = Person("Bob", 25)

4. Automatic Generation of Special Methods: