__repr__ vs __str__

Question

__repr__ vs __str__

Accepted Answer

When you type an object in the REPL or call repr(), Python calls __repr__. When you call str() or print(), Python calls __str__ (falling back to __repr__ if __str__ is not defined). The convention: __repr__ should return a string that, if passed to eval(), would recreate the object. __str__ can be friendlier. If you only define one, define __repr__ - it covers both use cases.