Basic usage
Input
Rectangle('3x4').area()
Output
12
parse_size splits '3x4' into width=3 and height=4; area returns 3*4 = 12.
Full lesson preview
Parse Input with a Static Method Helper
Learn to use a @staticmethod as a helper to parse input strings into structured data for a class.
Python practice15 minMethods & PropertiesIntermediateLast updated April 7, 2026
Problem statement
Create a Rectangle class that accepts a single string describing its size and initializes width and height using a static helper method. The static method parse_size must accept size strings in any of these formats: "WIDTHxHEIGHT", "WIDTH X HEIGHT", "WIDTH,HEIGHT", or "WIDTH:HEIGHT" (spaces around numbers are allowed). Both width and height should be parsed as non-negative integers. If parsing fails or values are negative, raise a ValueError. The Rectangle class should also expose an instance method area() that returns the product of width and height.
Task
Implement a static method to parse different size string formats and use it in __init__ to initialize instance attributes. Provide an instance method to compute area.
Examples
Input format
A single string describing the rectangle size (e.g. '10x5', ' 6 , 7 ').
Output format
area() returns an integer (width * height).
Constraints
- Supported separators: 'x' or 'X', ',', ':'
- Whitespace around numbers should be ignored
- Width and height must be integers >= 0
- If parsing or validation fails, raise ValueError
Samples
Sample 1
Input
Rectangle(' 6 , 7 ').area()
Output
42
Whitespace is ignored, parsed as width=6 height=7, area 42.