In Python, a class is a blueprint for creating objects with specific properties and methods. Sometimes, you may need to create a class with no properties or methods, often known as an “empty” or “dummy” class. This type of class serves as a placeholder and allows you to define a class without actually defining any properties or methods. In this article, we will learn how to create an empty class in Python with some examples.

Creating an Empty Class

To create an empty class in Python, you can use the pass keyword. The pass statement is a null operation that does nothing when executed. It is commonly used as a placeholder when a statement is required syntactically but no action is necessary or desirable. Here’s the syntax for creating an empty class:

class MyClass:
   pass

In this example, we define a class named MyClass that has no properties or methods. The pass keyword is used as a placeholder to indicate that the class body is intentionally empty.

Using an Empty Class

It is common to create empty classes when you are defining a class that you plan to fill in later with properties and methods. This allows you to create the class skeleton with the appropriate class name and inheritance (if needed) without needing to define any properties or methods immediately.

Here’s an example of how you can use an empty class to create a custom class that you can implement later:

class Employee:
   # This class will represent an employee, 
   # but the implementation is not yet defined
   pass

# ... later in the code ...

# Implement the Employee class
class Employee:
  def __init__(self, name, age, salary):
    self.name = name
    self.age = age
    self.salary = salary

  def display_info(self):
    print(f"Name: {self.name}, Age: {self.age}, Salary: {self.salary}")

In this example, we first define the Employee class as an empty class using the pass keyword. Later in the code, we implement the class and define the actual properties and methods to represent an employee.

Conclusion

In conclusion, creating an empty class in Python is a useful technique that allows you to define a class without defining any properties or methods inside it. This is particularly helpful when you need to create a class with a specific name and inheritance that you plan to fill in later. By using the pass keyword, you can create an empty class that will serve as a placeholder until you are ready to define the properties and methods.