[ACCEPTED]-Difference between "__method__" and "method-methods

• __method: private method.
• __method__: special Python method. They are named like this to prevent name collisions. Check this page for a list of these special methods.
• _method: This is the recommended naming convention for protected methods in the Python style guide.

From the style guide:

• _single_leading_underscore: weak "internal 9 use" indicator. E.g. from M import * does not import 8 objects whose name starts with an underscore.

• single_trailing_underscore_: used 7 by convention to avoid conflicts with Python 6 keyword, e.g.

  Tkinter.Toplevel(master, class_='ClassName')
  

• __double_leading_underscore: when naming a class attribute, invokes 5 name mangling (inside class FooBar, __boo 4 becomes _FooBar__boo; see below).

• __double_leading_and_trailing_underscore__: "magic" objects 3 or attributes that live in user-controlled 2 namespaces. E.g. __init__, __import__ or __file__. Never invent 1 such names; only use them as documented.

• method is just a normal method
• _method should not be called unless you know what you are doing, which normally means that you have written the method yourself.
• __method the 2 underscores are used to prevent name mangeling. Attributes or methods like this are accessible over instance._ClassName__method. Although a lot of people call this "private" it is not. You should never use this to prevent someone from accessing this method, use _method instead.
• __method__ is used for special methods which modify the behavior of the instance. Do not name your own methods like this.

0

These are all conventions, so they are not 14 enforced in anyway. Still, you can normally 13 expect:

__somename__

Something defined in the python language 12 specification itself. Don't use this in 11 your own naming.

_somename

This is normally supposed 10 to be called via some different mechanism 9 rather than directly. Similar to declaring 8 something private in most other languages, but 7 not enforced in any way.

__somename

This is really not supposed 6 to be called directly, and is mangled internally 5 to stop you doing so accidently. If you 4 really need to call it for some reason, check 3 the documentation to find out how.

Any of 2 the above can apply equally to function, variable 1 or class names.

These methods were named as such to reduce 1 the possibility of naming collisions.

Methods prefaced and prefixed with the double 3 underscore are generally so marked to indicate 2 that they are part of the Python language 1 specification.

Some methods with a double underscore prefix 10 and suffix are special. For example, __init__ is 9 called whenever an instance of that class 8 is created, and __str__ is called when the object 7 is to be printed. Basically, they can be 6 called in special ways. You can use them 5 like any other method, or you can invoke 4 them through the special way associated 3 to them.

I don't know about double-underscore 2 global functions (not belonging to any class), but 1 I think there aren't any.

The pattern of __name__ indicate "magic" methods. These 8 are called by various functions like

str(x) -> x.__str__()
repr(x) -> x.__repr__()
x[0] -> x.__getitem__(0)
etc

A single 7 underscore prefix is to indicate a private 6 attribute, and is only followed through 5 convention.

a double underscore prefix initiates 4 name-mangling, where the attribute named 3 __attr is changed to __Class_attr upon instantiation.

The 2 pattern you have of _method__ isn't really 1 used for anything.