Mott MacDonald Python Software Developer Interview Questions and Answers

Static methods are bound to the class itself, while instance methods are bound to instances of the class. Use @staticmethod decorator for static methods.

• Static methods do not have access to class or instance attributes, while instance methods do.

• Instance methods can modify instance state, while static methods cannot.

• To define a static method in Python, use the @staticmethod decorator before the method definition.

• Example: ```python class MyClass: @staticmethod def static_metho...read more

Inheritance is a mechanism in which a new class inherits attributes and methods from an existing class.

• Inheritance allows a class to reuse code from another class.

• Python supports single, multiple, and multilevel inheritance.

• Example: class ChildClass(ParentClass):

Access specifiers in Python control the accessibility of class attributes and methods.

• Access specifiers are not explicitly defined in Python like in other languages such as Java or C++.

• By convention, attributes and methods starting with a single underscore (_) are considered 'protected' and should not be accessed directly.

• Attributes and methods starting with double underscores (__) are considered 'private' and are name-mangled to prevent direct access.

Shallow copy creates a new object but does not duplicate nested objects, while deep copy creates a new object with all nested objects duplicated.

• Shallow copy only copies the references of nested objects, not the objects themselves.

• Deep copy creates new copies of all nested objects, ensuring complete independence.

• In Python, shallow copy can be achieved using the copy() method, while deep copy can be achieved using the deepcopy() method from the copy module.

MVT architecture stands for Model-View-Template architecture, commonly used in web development with Django framework.

• MVT separates the logic of an application into three components: Model, View, and Template.

• Model represents the data structure, View handles the user interface and business logic, and Template manages the presentation layer.

• MVT is similar to MVC (Model-View-Controller) architecture but with a different naming convention.

• Example: In Django, models.py defines the...read more

Decorators in Python are functions that modify the behavior of other functions or methods.

• Decorators are denoted by the @ symbol followed by the decorator name.

• They allow you to wrap another function in order to extend or modify its behavior.

• Decorators are commonly used for logging, authentication, and memoization.

• Example: @staticmethod decorator in Python is used to define a method that is not bound to an instance of a class.