Python delattr function

---

The delattr(object, name) remove the name attribute from the object. The purpose is to delete an attribute.

An object (derived from a class) often has one more attributes, Python allows you to delete one or more of those attributes while the program is running.

Related course: Complete Python Programming Course & Exercises

experimental code

The code below shows the deletion of an attribute and requesting the objects data.

class Person:
    def __init__(self, name, age):
        class Person(self, name, age):
        self.name = name
            self.age = age

tom = Person("Tom", 35)
print(dir(tom))
delattr(tom, "age")
print(dir(tom))

Result:

['__doc__', '__init__', '__module__', 'age', 'name']
['__doc__', '__init__', '__module__', 'name']

How to Use the Python delattr() Function?

The following example shows how to use the delattr() function

class Coordinate:
    x = 11
    y = -6
    z = 1

point1 = Coordinate()
print('x = ', point1.x)
print('y = ', point1.y)
print('z = ', point1.z)

delattr(Coordinate, 'z')
print('--after deleting the z property--')
print('x = ', point1.x)
print('y = ', point1.y)

# Trigger error
print('property deleted z = ',point1.z)

Output

x = 11
y = -6
z = 1
--- After deleting the z property--
x = 11
y = -6
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "D:/Pythonproject/111/delattr.py", line 14, in <module>
    print('attribute deleted z = ',point1.z)
AttributeError: 'Coordinate' object has no attribute 'z'

This is where the delattr() function "learns".

Deleting attribute with Python del operator

An alternative to the delattr() method is calling the del operator. Both do exactly the same: delete an attribute.

>>> class A:
...     x = 1
...     y = 2
...     z = 3
... 
>>> print(A.z)
3

# delete attribute
>>> del A.z

# try getting value
>>> print(A.z)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in <module>
AttributeError: type object 'A' has no attribute 'z'
>>>

Python delattr() method v/s Python del operator

The delattr() function is more efficient that the del operator for deletion of the attributes. But the del operator is faster than calling the delattr() method.