access control

Python does not enforce strict access control like some other languages (e.g., Java, C++). Instead, it relies on naming conventions to indicate the intended level of access.

1. private: Indicated with a double underscore "__". private 

2. protected: Indicated with a single underscore "_". protected 

Private members use name mangling to prevent accidental access, but they can still be accessed if necessary (e.g., instance._ClassName__private_var). On the other hand, Protected methods and variables just need the single underscore without name mangling.

class MyClass:

    ''' description of the class '''

    def __init__(self, a):

        self.a = a

        return

    def __repr__(self):

        return f'{self.__class__.__name__}({self.a!r})'

    def __private(self):

        print('this is protected')

    def _protected(self):

        print('this is private')

    def normal(self):

        print('this is normal')

c = MyClass(100)

c.normal()

c._protected()

c._MyClass__private() # requires name mangling to gain access