A dataclass is a type of class in the programming language Python that is used to define data structures. It provides a convenient and efficient way of representing structured data, such as records, tuples, or database tables. Dataclasses allow for the creation of classes with automatically generated special methods, such as the __init__, __repr__, and __eq__ methods, which are commonly used for defining classes that represent data.
With dataclasses, developers can declare fields and their types using the @dataclass decorator and the field function. This reduces the amount of boilerplate code that needs to be written and makes it easier to maintain and update the code. Additionally, dataclasses provide the ability to add default values for fields, define ordering using the order function, and customise the representation of the class using the repr function.
Dataclasses were introduced in Python 3.7 and are considered a modern and convenient way of defining data structures in Python. They can be used in a variety of applications, including data analysis, machine learning, and web development.
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