Python setattr() Function

Sets the attribute of an object. The attribute must have been initialized in the class.

Syntax

Python

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setattr(object, name, value)

Parameters

Parameter	Description
`object`	Required. The object for which the attribute will be set. This can be any type.
`name`	Required. The name of the attribute as a string value.
`value`	Required. The value to set. This can be any type.

Example

Python

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class MyObject   
    def __init__(self): 
        self.x = 10

object = MyObject()
setattr(object, 'x', 20)

Notes

While normally one just assigns a value to an attribute, for example object.x = 10. In meta-programming, however, it can is often useful to be able to set an attribute by its name. This technique can be used, for example, to map JSON data or records from a database to a Python object.

There are many Python libraries that do this already, so there is no reason to write your own unless you have some custom requirements.