Properties & Encapsulation

Naming conventions

Python has no true private keyword. A leading underscore _name signals "internal, don't touch" by convention only.

@property

@property turns a method into an attribute-like getter, so you can add validation without changing how callers use it.

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

    @property
    def area(self):
        return 3.14159 * self._radius ** 2

c = Circle(4)
print(c.area)   # 50.265... -- called like an attribute, no ()