How to use decorators in Python

Decorators are a way to modify or extend the behavior of a function or class in Python. They are used to wrap a function or class and modify its behavior, without changing its source code. In this post, we will learn how to use decorators in Python and what benefits they bring to your code.

Defining a decorator

A decorator is defined using the `@` symbol, followed by the name of the decorator function. For example, to define a decorator `my_decorator`:

      def my_decorator(func):
        def wrapper():
          print("Something is happening before the function is called.")
          func()
          print("Something is happening after the function is called.")
        return wrapper
    

Using a decorator

To use a decorator, simply add the `@` symbol followed by the name of the decorator to the function or class that you want to modify. For example:

      @my_decorator
      def say_hello():
        print("Hello!")
    

Now, when you call the `say_hello` function, the output will include the messages from the decorator:

      >>> say_hello()
      Something is happening before the function is called.
      Hello!
      Something is happening after the function is called.
    

Conclusion

In this post, we learned about decorators in Python and how to use them to modify the behavior of a function or class. Decorators are a powerful tool for writing clean and reusable code, and are a must-have in your Python toolbox.