Source: 📖 Python Cookbook ch8.1 p243

Setting the __repr__ method

The __repr__ method of a class is used to output a representation of the object, and it is called when the repr() function is called with an object as its argument. By convention, __repr__ is set to output to the console the code that would have created the object in question.

class Point():
	def __init__(self, x, y):
		self.x = x
		self.y = y
	
	def __repr__(self):
		return f'Point({self.x}, {self.y})'

In the above example, when repr() is called on a Point instance, the instance's __repr__ method will be called which outputs the code required to create that particular object.

# within shell

>>> p = Point(2, 3)
>>> p
Point(2, 3)

p = Point(2, 3)
repr(point)		# outputs 'Point(2, 3)' to the console