Liskov Substitution Principle
"Functions that use pointers or references to a base class must be able to use objects of any derived class without knowing it."
The Liskov Substitution Principle (LSP) is a fundamental principle of object-oriented design within the S.O.L.I.D framework.
It states that objects of a superclass should be replaceable with objects of a subclass without affecting the correctness of the program.
This principle ensures that a derived class can stand in for its base class, promoting code reusability and robustness.
Examples:
- Here is a simple example demonstrating LSP:
class Bird:
def fly(self):
print("Flying")
class Sparrow(Bird):
def chirp(self):
print("Chirping")
def make_bird_fly(bird: Bird):
bird.fly() # This works for any object that is a Bird
if isinstance(bird, Sparrow):
bird.chirp() # This works for Sparrows specifically
# Example usage:
sparrow = Sparrow()
make_bird_fly(sparrow) # This will call fly() and chirp() for Sparrow
- And if we wanted to violate LSP:
class Penguin(Bird):
def fly(self):
raise Exception("Penguins can't fly") # Violates LSP
def make_bird_fly(bird: Bird):
bird.fly() # This will cause an exception if a Penguin is passed
# Example usage:
penguin = Penguin()
make_bird_fly(penguin) # This will raise an exception