Methods

n Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), a method is a function that is defined inside a class.

Methods define the behavior of an object.

If variables represent the data of an object, methods represent the actions of that object.

Basic Syntax

class ClassName:
    def method_name(self):
        # code block

self refers to the current object that is calling the method.

Example of a Simple Method

class Student:
    def greet(self):
        print("Hello Student")s1 = Student()
s1.greet()

Output:

Hello Student

Here:

• greet() is a method
• It is called using the object s1

Method with Parameters

Methods can also accept additional parameters.

class Student:
    def greet(self, name):
        print("Hello", name)s1 = Student()
s1.greet("Hira")

Output:

Hello Hira

Types of Methods in Python

There are mainly three types of methods:

1. Instance Methods

• Work with instance variables
• Must use self
• Called using object

class Student:
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name    def display(self):
        print(self.name)s1 = Student("Hira")
s1.display()

2. Class Methods

• Work with class variables
• Use @classmethod decorator
• Use cls instead of self

class Student:
    school = "GIGZ Academy"    @classmethod
    def show_school(cls):
        print(cls.school)Student.show_school()

3. Static Methods

• Do not use instance or class variables
• Use @staticmethod decorator
• No self or cls

class Math:
    @staticmethod
    def add(a, b):
        return a + bprint(Math.add(5, 3))

Difference Between Method Types

Instance Method
Uses object data
Requires self
Called using object

Class Method
Uses class data
Requires cls
Called using class

Static Method
Does not use class or object data
No self or cls
Called using class

Key Takeaway

Methods define what an object can do.
They help organize code inside classes and make programs structured, reusable, and easy to manage.