How many decorators are there in Python?

Olivia 36 Published: 07/13/2024

How many decorators are there in Python?

I'd be happy to explain the number of decorators in Python!

In Python, a decorator is a small piece of code that can modify or extend the behavior of another function. Decorators are used extensively throughout Python's standard library and are also a popular tool for developers when writing their own code.

Python provides eight built-in decorators:

@property: This decorator allows you to create read-only attributes for your classes. @classmethod: This decorator is used to define class methods, which are methods that can be called on the class itself rather than an instance of the class. @staticmethod: This decorator is similar to @classmethod, but it defines a method that belongs to the class itself rather than its instances. @abstractmethod: This decorator is used with abstract classes (classes that cannot be instantiated) and defines methods that must be implemented by any concrete subclasses. @decoratorutils.wraps: This decorator helps you write better documentation for your functions and other callable objects. @functools.singledispatch: This decorator allows you to use a single function as a dispatcher for multiple versions of the same function, which can be useful when working with generic types or type hinting. @functools.lru_cache: This decorator caches the results of functions that take no arguments and return immutable objects. This can help improve performance by avoiding repeated calculations. @contextmanager: This decorator is used to define generators as context managers, which can be useful when working with files or other resources that need to be managed in a specific way.

In addition to these built-in decorators, Python also has several third-party decorator libraries that can help you perform various tasks, such as caching, logging, and error handling. Some popular examples include:

wrapt: This library provides a set of decorators that allow you to inspect and manipulate the metadata (such as the name and docstring) associated with functions. functools (part of the standard library): This library provides several decorator-related functions, including singledispatch, lru_cache, and more. pytest.decorators: This library is specifically designed for use with the popular testing framework Pytest and provides a set of decorators that can be used to mark tests as slow or skip them.

Overall, Python's built-in decorators provide a lot of functionality out of the box, and third-party libraries offer even more flexibility and customization options. Whether you're working on small scripts or large-scale projects, decorators are definitely worth learning about!

python decorators with arguments

Here's the deal! Let me explain to you how Python decorators work, and then I'll show you some examples of using decorators with arguments.

What are Python Decorators?

In Python, a decorator is a special kind of function that can modify or extend the behavior of another function. A decorator is basically a small piece of code that "wraps" around another function to provide additional functionality without modifying the original function itself.

To use a decorator in Python, you need to define it using the @ symbol before the function you want to decorate. For example:

def my_decorator(func):

def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):

print("Something is happening before the function is called.")

result = func(*args, **kwargs)

print("Something is happening after the function is called.")

return result

return wrapper

@my_decorator

def add(a, b):

return a + b

result = add(2, 3)

print(result) # Output: 5

In this example, my_decorator is the decorator function, and add is the function being decorated. When you run add(2, 3), it will first print "Something is happening before the function is called.", then call the original add function with arguments (2, 3), and finally print "Something is happening after the function is called.".

How to Use Decorators with Arguments

Now that you know how decorators work in general, let's talk about using them with arguments. A decorator can take arguments just like any other function. To do this, you need to modify the decorator definition slightly:

def my_decorator(arg1, arg2):

def decorator(func):

def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):

Use the decorator's arguments here

print(f"Decorator args: {arg1}, {arg2}")

result = func(*args, **kwargs)

return result

return wrapper

return decorator

@my_decorator("Hello", "World")

def add(a, b):

return a + b

result = add(2, 3)

print(result) # Output: 5

In this example, my_decorator is the decorator function that takes two arguments (arg1 and arg2). The decorator returns another function (decorator) that wraps around the original function (add). When you run add(2, 3), it will first print the decorator's arguments, then call the original add function with arguments (2, 3), and finally return the result.

Why Use Decorators with Arguments?

You can use decorators with arguments to provide additional functionality that depends on specific values or conditions. For example:

Conditional logging: You can create a decorator that only logs certain messages if a specific condition is met (e.g., when the function returns an error). Dynamic behavior: You can create a decorator that changes its behavior based on dynamic arguments, such as environment variables or user input. Modularization: You can break down complex functionality into smaller, more manageable pieces by using decorators with arguments to wrap around specific parts of your code.

In conclusion, Python decorators are powerful tools that can simplify your code and make it more efficient. By learning how to use decorators with arguments, you can take your code to the next level and create even more robust and reusable functions!

Now go forth and decorate those functions!