Why Use the `__repr__` Method in Python?

Purpose of the repr Method

The repr method is a special function defined in a class that produces a printable representation of an object. This representation is intended for use in the development and debugging process and differs from the str method, which is intended for end users.

repr implementations typically return a string representation of the object, often in a format that would be able to recreate the object if evaluated as a Python expression. This makes it a valuable tool for debugging and understanding the internal state of an object.

For instance, consider the following repr implementation:

<code class="python">def __repr__(self):
  return '<%s %s (%s:%s) %s>' % (
    self.__class__.__name__, self.urlconf_name, self.app_name,
    self.namespace, self.regex.pattern)</code>

This method produces a string representation of an object that includes the class name, URL configuration name, application name, namespace, and regex pattern associated with the object. This level of detail allows developers to quickly identify and inspect specific aspects of the object's state during development and debugging.

For example:

>>> import django.urls

>>> pattern = django.urls.path("my_app/", views.my_view)

>>> repr(pattern)
'<path my_app/ views.my_view () [] ^my_app/$>'

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