__new__ method giving error object.__new__() takes exactly one argument (the type to instantiate)
instance = super(Foo, cls).__new__(cls,*args, **kwargs)
is correct. However, you are responsible for first removing arguments that your class introduces, so that when object.__new__
is ultimately called, both *args
and **kwargs
are empty.
Your code should be something like
class Foo:
def __new__(cls, a, b, *args, **kwargs):
print("Creating Instance")
instance = super(Foo, cls).__new__(cls, *args, **kwargs)
return instance
def __init__(self, a, b, *args, **kwargs):
super().__init__(*args, **kwargs)
self.a = a
self.b = b
This definition removes your new parameters a
and b
from args
before passing it on to whoever is next on the MRO. Likewise for __init__
.
object.__new__()
signature is (*args, **kwargs)
, you may check this by using inspect.signature
function.
But why then you have this error? TLDR: because you defined custom __new__
method.
Small research
All tests were done on Python 3.9.1.
Consider next class.
class MyClass:
def __init__(self): pass
Let's call object.__new__()
on it:
>>> object.__new__(MyClass, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
<__main__.MyClass object at 0x000001E7B15B3550>
No problems at all. This class has only custom __init__
and no custom __new__
.
Now try to do the same call for your Foo:
>>> object.__new__(Foo, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<input>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: object.__new__() takes exactly one argument (the type to instantiate)
An exception about object.__new__()
. This class has both custom __init__
and __new__
.
You will see the same error when only custom __new__
is defined:
>>> class OnlyNew:
... def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs): return super().__new__(cls)
>>> object.__new__(OnlyNew, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<input>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: object.__new__() takes exactly one argument (the type to instantiate)
Let's check a class with no custom __init__
and __new__
.
>>> class A: pass
>>> object.__new__(A, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<input>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: A() takes no arguments
Absolutely different error.
Let's check how it works with inheritance.
Derive from A and define __init__
.
>>> class B(A):
... def __init__(self): pass
>>> object.__new__(B, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
<__main__.B object at 0x000001E7B15D23A0>
Derive from MyClass and define nothing.
>>> class MC(MyClass): pass
>>> object.__new__(MC, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
<__main__.MC object at 0x000001E7B15D2CA0>
Derive from MyClass and define __new__
.
>>> class Sub(MyClass):
def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs): return super().__new__(cls)
>>> object.__new__(Sub, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<input>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: object.__new__() takes exactly one argument (the type to instantiate)
Derive from Foo and define nothing.
>>> class F(Foo): pass
>>> object.__new__(F, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<input>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: object.__new__() takes exactly one argument (the type to instantiate)
And now let's look on an absolutely exotic case:
class Base:
def __init__(self): pass
def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs): return super().__new__(cls)
class Sub(Base):
def __init__(self): pass
__new__ = object.__new__
class Free:
def __init__(self): pass
__new__ = object.__new__
>>> object.__new__(Free, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
<__main__.Free object at 0x000001E7B15C5A90>
>>> object.__new__(Sub, *range(10), **{f'a{i}': i for i in range(10)})
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "<input>", line 1, in <module>
TypeError: object.__new__() takes exactly one argument (the type to instantiate)
Both Sub and Free do not have a custom __new__
method - in both classes __new__
is object.__new__()
. But creating Sub raises an error while creating Free does not. Seems like object.__new__()
checks not getattr(A_Class, '__new__', object.__new__) is object.__new__
but all(getattr(cls, '__new__', object.__new__) is object.__new__ for cls in A_Class.mro())
.
Conclusion
- If a class has
__new__
in its MRO, callingobject.__new__()
with >1 arguments raises TypeError. - If a class has only custom
__init__
and does not have custom__new__
in its MRO, callingobject.__new__()
with >1 arguments creates a proper instance. - If a class does not have both custom
__init__
and__new__
in its MRO, callingobject.__new__()
with >1 arguments raises TypeError.