Class organization

• (Java: List of variables first, in order: public static constants, private static variables, private instance variables)
• Python:
  • Class variables first
  • Then "magic" functions (__init__, __length__ etc)
  • Then public functions
• Private utility functions called by a function should be after the function calling it (stepdown rule)

Classes should be small

• Classes should have only a single responsibility (SRP)
  • Only one reason to change
• Cohesion: "Each method of a class should manipulate one or more of the instance variables"
• High cohesion: When each instance variable is used by many methods. We want high cohesion.
• Maintaining cohesion results in many small classes

Discussion

• Should one collect similar "static" functions in class in Python?
• Position of methods within a class in Python
• Getters and setters
  • Using functions / decorators