Hyperclass

Subclass the web.

Hyperclass is a small experiment in building interactive web applications as Python class hierarchies.

HTML elements are Python base classes. Python subclasses become CSS classes. Styles follow inheritance. Routes are methods. Decorated handlers are URLs. Interaction is ordinary HTTP, with htmx 4 in the browser. Run it with the tiny built-in WSGI host, or put the same components and routes inside Flask or Django.

pip install hyperclass
# or: pip install "hyperclass[flask]"
# or: pip install "hyperclass[django]"

Sixty-second tour

from dataclasses import dataclass

from hyperclass import (
    App, button, css, div, form, get, grid, hx, input, outer_morph,
    name, post, rem,
)


class card(div):
    style = css(
        display=grid,
        gap=1 * rem,
        padding=1.25 * rem,
        border="1px solid #ddd",
        border_radius=.75 * rem,
    )


class guest_name(input):
    name = name.name
    placeholder = "Your name"
    required = True


class guest_form(form):
    style = css(display=grid, gap=.75 * rem)

    def content(self):
        yield guest_name()
        yield button("Say hello", type="submit")


@dataclass
class Guest:
    name: str


class GuestbookRoutes:
    @get("/")
    def index(self, request):
        return card(
            "Who are you?",
            guest_form(
                hx=hx.post(
                    guestbook.create,
                    target=card,
                    swap=outer_morph,
                )
            ),
        )

    @post("/guests")
    def create(self, request, form: Guest):
        return card(f"Hello, {form.name}!")


class guestbook(GuestbookRoutes, App):
    pass


app = guestbook(title="Guestbook")

Run it:

python -m hyperclass myapp:app

Then open http://127.0.0.1:8000. There is no JavaScript build, template language, ASGI dependency, or CSS file hidden elsewhere.

App is the zero-dependency host and remains the shortest way to start. The HTML, CSS, htmx, selector, route, and form-binding APIs are shared by every host.

HTML classes are Python classes

Every built-in element can be subclassed:

from hyperclass import css, div, grid, orange, rem


class card(div):
    style = css(display=grid, gap=1 * rem, padding=1.25 * rem)


class warning_card(card):
    style = css(
        border_color=orange,
        background=orange.fade(0.08),
    )

Calling:

warning_card("Something happened")

produces ordinary, inspectable HTML:

<div class="card warning-card">Something happened</div>

The first built-in HTML ancestor determines the tag. Each semantic subclass contributes a CSS class. snake_case becomes kebab-case.

Multiple inheritance composes behavior and styles:

class compact:
    style = css(padding=.5 * rem)


class clickable:
    style = css(cursor="pointer")


class result_card(card, compact, clickable):
    pass

<div class="card compact clickable result-card"></div>

Components use normal Python state and methods:

from hyperclass import strong


class greeting(card):
    def __init__(self, name):
        self.name = name

    def content(self):
        yield "Hello, "
        yield strong(self.name)

Text and attribute values are escaped by default. markup(...) is the explicit escape hatch for trusted HTML.

HTML attributes inherit too

Non-private class values become default HTML attributes:

from hyperclass import a, input, name


class external_link(a):
    target = "_blank"
    rel = "noreferrer"


class url_field(input):
    type = "url"
    name = name.url
    required = True
    autocomplete = "url"

The defaults follow the same base-to-derived order as styles. Subclasses and multiple-inheritance mixins can override them. Attributes passed to an instance win last:

external_link("Same tab", href="/", target="_self", rel=None)

None and False suppress an inherited attribute. Underscores in Python names become hyphens, so aria_label renders as aria-label. Boolean True renders as a valueless HTML attribute. An hx = hx.get(...) class default expands into the corresponding htmx attributes.

CSS is Python too

Base styles, pseudo-states, and media rules live on the component:

from hyperclass import button, css, media, rem


class primary_button(button):
    style = css(
        padding=".7rem 1rem",
        background="#6d28d9",
        color="white",
        border=0,
        border_radius=.5 * rem,
    )
    hover = css(background="#5b21b6")
    focus_visible = css(outline="3px solid #c4b5fd")
    narrow = media(max_width=40 * rem, width="100%")

Pages collect only the rules used by their element tree. Rules use the concrete semantic class chain as their selector, so Python inheritance and the CSS cascade cooperate even when new component styles arrive later.

Classes, IDs, and names are selectors

Classes can be used directly anywhere a selector is expected:

hx.get(search, target=result_card)
closest(card)

IDs are lazy, interned Python objects:

from hyperclass import id, span

span("3 unread", id=id.unread_count)
hx.get(count, target=id.unread_count)

assert id.unread_count is id.unread_count

As an HTML attribute, id.unread_count renders as unread-count. As a selector, it renders as #unread-count.

Form names work the same way while preserving Python underscores:

from hyperclass import name

input(name=name.search_query)
request.form[name.search_query]
hx.get(search, include=name.search_query, target=id.results)

As an attribute, name.search_query renders as search_query. As a selector, it renders as [name="search_query"]. Repeated access returns the same object.

Routes are references, not strings

Application subclasses collect decorated method routes:

from hyperclass import App, get, patch


class bookmarks(App):
    @get("/")
    def index(self, request):
        return bookmark_list(...)

    @patch("/bookmarks/<int:bookmark_id>")
    def toggle(self, request, bookmark_id):
        return bookmark_card(...)

Decorated handlers retain their route metadata. Their URLs are lazy values:

bookmarks.toggle.url(bookmark_id=42)
# '/bookmarks/42'

hx.patch(
    bookmarks.toggle,
    bookmark_id=42,
    target=bookmark_card,
)

Typed path parameters are converted before the handler runs. Query strings can be attached with .url(query={...}) or the query= option on an htmx request. The URL is resolved only while rendering, so a Flask mount prefix or Django URL namespace is included automatically. Components never need to know where their application was mounted.

Forms bind to dataclasses

Annotate a route parameter with a dataclass and Hyperclass builds it from the submitted form:

@dataclass
class NewBookmark:
    url: str
    title: str = ""


class bookmarks(App):
    @post("/bookmarks")
    def create(self, request, form: NewBookmark):
        self.store.add(form.url, form.title)
        return bookmark_list(...)

Binding supports strings, integers, floats, booleans, optional values, and lists or tuples of those values. Dataclass defaults remain defaults. Invalid or missing required values produce a 400 Bad Request; application validation can return (body, status).

The lightweight host also exposes request.form and request.query. Flask and Django handlers receive their native request objects, so use request.form and request.args in Flask or request.POST and request.GET in Django. Their Werkzeug MultiDict and Django QueryDict values feed the same dataclass binder without a request wrapper.

Three hosts, one component model

Lightweight

Top-level App is a deliberately small, dependency-free WSGI application. Use the standard-library development server:

python -m hyperclass package.module:app
python -m hyperclass package.module:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 9000

Production can use any WSGI server. Returning an element from an ordinary browser request wraps it in a complete page. Returning the same element to an htmx request sends only the fragment to swap.

The explicit import is from hyperclass.lite import App; top-level from hyperclass import App is its convenient and backward-compatible alias.

Flask

Install hyperclass[flask], then subclass the native Flask host:

from hyperclass.flask import App


class guestbook(GuestbookRoutes, App):
    pass


app = guestbook(title="Guestbook")

hyperclass.flask.App is a real flask.Flask subclass. Route handlers receive Flask's request object, native Flask responses pass through unchanged, and Flask extensions, middleware, test clients, and WSGI deployment continue to work normally. Hyperclass route references use url_for() when rendered.

Django

Install hyperclass[django], create the route application, and include it in a normal Django URLconf:

from django.urls import include, path
from hyperclass.django import App


class guestbook(GuestbookRoutes, App):
    pass


guestbook_app = guestbook(title="Guestbook", namespace="guestbook")

urlpatterns = [
    path("guestbook/", include(guestbook_app.urls)),
]

Handlers receive native HttpRequest objects and may return native HttpResponse objects. Routes sharing a path are dispatched by HTTP method, and route references use Django reverse(), including the mount and namespace. Full Hyperclass pages inherit an htmx X-CSRFToken header and request a Django CSRF cookie, so unsafe htmx requests work with CsrfViewMiddleware enabled.

htmx 4

Page(...) controls the document explicitly. Pages include a pinned htmx 4 asset from jsDelivr. htmx 4 <hx-partial> responses can update several object-selected regions from one request.

When an htmx response introduces a component that was not present on the first page, Hyperclass includes its CSS in a partial targeting the page's stable hyperclass-styles stylesheet. The new fragment is styled immediately, without a reload or a global CSS build.

Try the examples

Clone the repository and run the persistent SQLite bookmark inbox:

git clone https://github.com/grantjenks/python-hyperclass
cd python-hyperclass
python -m hyperclass examples.bookmarks:app
# Flask: flask --app examples.bookmarks_flask run

The bookmark app adds, searches, filters, edits, marks, and deletes bookmarks. Its route mixin and component tree are shared by Lite, Flask, and Django. The same browser contract adds, toggles, edits, searches, and deletes a bookmark on all three hosts.

For the smallest example:

python -m hyperclass examples.counter:app

Principles

• Python is the authoring language. Control flow, composition, inheritance, validation, and reuse are ordinary Python.
• The browser remains the browser. Hyperclass emits standard HTML and CSS rather than recreating the DOM on the server.
• Classes mean classes. Python inheritance has a visible relationship to HTML classes and the CSS cascade.
• HTTP is the state boundary. There is no hydration protocol or hidden client component lifecycle.
• Output should be boring. Generated markup stays readable in View Source and DevTools.
• Choose your host. Start with the standard library, or use Flask/Django where their ecosystem and infrastructure are already the right answer.

Development

Run the Python test matrix locally with:

uvx nox -s tests

The browser contract starts each of the Lite, Flask, and Django bookmark hosts on an ephemeral port and exercises add, toggle, edit, search, and delete through htmx in Chromium:

uvx nox -s browser

Playwright is used only by that development session and is not a Hyperclass runtime dependency.

Status

Hyperclass is deliberately pre-alpha: useful enough to build small applications and young enough for its API to change. Python 3.10 through 3.14 are tested.

Apache-2.0 licensed.