Consider:
course_db = Course(title='Databases')
course_db.save()
Coming from a C++ background, I would expect (course_db = Course(title='Databases')) to behave like it would in C++, that is, assign Course(title='Databases') to course_db and return the assigned object so that I can use it as part of a larger expression. For example, I would expect the following code to do the same thing as the code above:
(course_db = Course(title='Databases')).save()
This assumption got support from some quick Google searches using terms like "assignment operator in Python", e.g. this article. But when I tried this, I got a syntax error.
Why can't I do this in Python, and what can I do instead?
You should do some more research about the differences between statements and expressions in Python.
If you are using Python 3.8+, you can use the := operator:
In [1]: class A:
...: def save(self):
...: return 1
...:
In [2]: (a := A()).save()
Out[2]: 1
In [3]: a
Out[3]: <__main__.A at 0x7f074e2ddaf0>