Introduction

In Python, a private method is a method that is intended to be used only within the class where it is defined. These methods are not accessible from outside the class and are denoted by a single underscore (_) before the method name.

Example Class

Here's an example of a class with a private method:

class MyClass:
    def __init__(self):
        self.public_var = "I'm a public variable!"
        self._private_var = "I'm a private variable!"

    def public_method(self):
        print("This is a public method!")
        self._private_method()

    def _private_method(self):
        print("This is a private method!")

As you can see, the _private_var and _private_method are intended to be used only inside the MyClass. By convention, methods and variables that are intended to be private are named with a single underscore prefix.

Example Class Hierarchy

Here's another example that demonstrates the use of private methods in a class hierarchy:

class MyBaseClass:
    def __init__(self):
        self.public_var = "I'm a public variable in MyBaseClass!"
        self._private_var = "I'm a private variable in MyBaseClass!"

    def public_method(self):
        print("This is a public method in MyBaseClass!")
        self._private_method()

    def _private_method(self):
        print("This is a private method in MyBaseClass!")

class MyDerivedClass(MyBaseClass):
    def __init__(self):
        super().__init__()
        self.public_var = "I'm a public variable in MyDerivedClass!"
        self._private_var = "I'm a private variable in MyDerivedClass!"

    def public_method(self):
        print("This is a public method in MyDerivedClass!")
        self._private_method()

    def _private_method(self):
        print("This is a private method in MyDerivedClass!")

In this example, MyDerivedClass inherits from MyBaseClass, which has a private method and variable. MyDerivedClass also has its own private method and variable. Both classes override the public_method. When we create an instance of MyDerivedClass, we can access the public methods and variables of both classes. However, the private methods and variables are still not accessible from outside the classes.

<aside> 🗒️ It's important to keep in mind that Python's private methods are just a convention and not a true access control mechanism. In fact, it's still possible to access private methods and variables from outside the class by using name mangling, although this is not recommended

</aside>