Meaning of @classmethod and @staticmethod for beginner

In Python, @classmethod is a decorator that is used to define a method as a class method. A class method is a method that is bound to the class and not the instance of the class.

A class method is a method that belongs to a class rather than an instance of the class. They can be called on the class itself, as well as on any instance of the class.

Here's an example of how to use the @classmethod decorator:

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

    @classmethod
    def from_string(cls, string):
        name, age = string.split(',')
        return cls(name, age)

person1 = MyClass('John', 30)
print(person1.name, person1.age)

person2 = MyClass.from_string('Jane, 25')
print(person2.name, person2.age)

In the example above, the from_string method is a class method. It is defined using the @classmethod decorator and takes a cls parameter, which refers to the class itself. The from_string method can be called on the MyClass class, as well as on any instance of the MyClass class.

On the other hand, @staticmethod is a decorator that is used to define a static method. A static method is a method that belongs to a class rather than an instance of the class, but it does not have access to the class or instance. It is a method that is bound to the class and not the instance of the class.

Here's an example of how to use the @staticmethod decorator:

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

    @staticmethod
    def greet():
        print('Hello, world!')

person = MyClass('John', 30)
MyClass.greet()
person.greet()

In the example above, the greet method is a static method. It is defined using the @staticmethod decorator and does not take any special parameters. The greet method can be called on the MyClass class, as well as on any instance of the MyClass class.