Create a blank class instance without class definition

Question

Sometimes I use classes without any structure, i.e.

class Foo(object):
    pass

foo = Foo()

I wonder if there is a more compact way which avoids the clumsy, meaningless definition. Can one directly initialize blank object-instances?

TerryA · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-02 08:05:04Z

4

Use type():

>>> foo = type('Foo', (), {})()
>>> foo
<__main__.Foo object at 0x100499f50>

answered Oct 2, 2013 at 8:05

TerryA

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Fred Foo · Accepted Answer · 2013-10-02 08:04:26Z

3

foo = object()

is the common way.

answered Oct 2, 2013 at 8:04

Fred Foo

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4 Comments

flonk Over a year ago

I was sure as death to have checked that, but obviously I haven't. Thanks!

Blckknght Over a year ago

Note that you won't be able to add any attributes to object instances, like foo in this example. If you just need a unique object (for instance, as a sentinel value), this is a good way to go, but if you need to be able to store data in the object it won't work.

flonk Over a year ago

foo1=object() and foo2=Foo() behave different, even though the Foo class got no additional ingredients. Is there a deeper reason for this strange behavior? Is object really a class or something spooky nonstandard?

Fred Foo Over a year ago

@flonk object is a built-in class.

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