What are metaclasses in Python?

Question

What are metaclasses and what do we use them for?

Answer 1

To answer this, we should revisit what a class is in Python.

A class is a template from which objects are created, with an object being:

1)    a single number;

2)    a dictionary, array, list, set, tuple;

3)    a data frame comprised of one or numerous data types;

4)    a procedure or function;

5)    many other possible objects

A metaclass is a template from which other classes are created.

Think of a metaclass as a ‘class factory’.

Why use metaclasses?

Since metaclasses can create classes virtually simutaneously, and since classes create objects, you should think of the metaclasses as creating objects in a more effective way than creating one class at a time.

Benefits of creating multiple classes at virtually the same time and allowing the class-created objects to have numerous interactions enables various computational methods to be applied to complex data sets in ways not possible until quite recently