Encapsulation and Properties

Encapsulation restricts direct access to some of an object's components (data), preventing accidental modification, and forcing interaction through controlled methods (getters/setters).

Private Attributes (Convention)

Python does not enforce true privacy, but conventionally, attributes prefixed with an underscore (_) are considered protected/private, signaling that they shouldn't be accessed directly.

python class Student: def init(self, name, score): self.name = name self._score = score # Protected attribute

Using @property (Pythonic Getters)

The @property decorator allows you to define a method that can be accessed like an attribute. This enables calculated attributes and control over data access without changing the calling code.

python class Circle: def init(self, radius): self._radius = radius

# The getter method
@property
def radius(self):
    return self._radius

# Calculated attribute accessed as if it were a stored variable
@property
def area(self):
    return 3.14159 * (self._radius ** 2)

c = Circle(5)

Accessing area as an attribute, not a method:

print(f"Circle Area: {c.area}")