Python’s Approach to Operator Overloading

Magic methods in Python for Operator Overloading

Operator Overloading:
Operator Overloading in Python is the ability of single operator to perform more than one operation based on class or type of operands.
Ex. + operator is used to add two numbers and used to concatenate two strings or merge two lists.

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/0026616c1ad414bc0e755f9da0b1444e

How to overload operators in Python:
When we use operators in Python,special method or magic method is automatically invoked that is associated with the particular operator.
Ex.When we use + operator, magic method __add__() is automatically invoked.
In the below example + operator is overloaded by int class,str class and list class

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/1796a11486d474db8b4fb73700305e4e

When we try to add two objects from user defined class,it will raise TypeError. Since Python doesn’t know how to add two objects together.

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/4ed01bdf7e28f8cd7eb2ff2fd0fb484e

Operator Overloading is achieved by using special method/magic method in class definition.These method has leading and trailing double underscores__.Magic method __add__() is used to overload + operator.
We have to define this magic method in class and operators work according to the behavior mentioned in the method.

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/83e8293d76eb8f8cc1584d96f3e143b6

• Arithmetic Operators and Associated Magic methods:

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/f88c926fdc19f4d338889ceca1b1bdb3

Example for how to overload arithmetic operators in Python.

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/3ec659580448e29c4cc7b2d0d3095c07

• Comparison Operators and its Magic methods:

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/c013d49727fd4eeb2e268dd0522d87b4

Example for how to overload comparison operators in Python.

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/6f02e2e14b69f2d96f348f687420d788

• Assignment Operator and associated Magic methods.

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/a2387f7e3196369f224bcb0bb46cf763

Examples of how to overload assignment operators in Python:

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/a773695e0ac263d2465915afc8fb0013

• Unary Operators and associated Magic Methods:

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/f4757414936e21d2413f0994c28310af

Examples of how to overload unary operators in Python:

https://gist.github.com/IndhumathyChelliah/f2e1f50e18ecbe916be4b4f98f7a4a2d

Resources:

https://docs.python.org/3/reference/datamodel.html#emulating-numeric-types