How to Customize the String Representation of a Python Class?

How to Customize the String Representation of a Class

In Python, the default string representation of a class looks like "". This might not always be desirable, especially when you want a custom string representation.

Implementing __str__() or __repr__()

To customize the string representation, you can implement the __str__() or __repr__() method in the class's metaclass. The metaclass is a class whose instances are classes.

For example:

class MC(type):
  def __repr__(self):
    return 'Wahaha!'

class C(object):
  __metaclass__ = MC

print(C)

This will result in the following output:

Wahaha!

Choosing the Appropriate Method

Use __str__() if you want a readable stringification, while __repr__() is used for unambiguous representations.

Python 3 Version

For Python 3, the syntax is slightly different:

class MC(type):
  def __repr__(self):
    return 'Wahaha!'

class C(object, metaclass=MC):
    pass


print(C)

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