What is the difference between closures and decorators in Python?

What is the difference between closures and decorators in Python?

Closures are functions that remember the environment in which they were created, while decorators are a specific use of closures to modify the behavior of functions.

Can you give me an example of a closure?

Sure! Here's a simple closure example:

def outer_function(msg):
    def inner_function():
        print(msg)
    return inner_function

closure = outer_function('Hello, World!')
closure()  # This will print 'Hello, World!'

And how about a decorator example?

Certainly! Here's a basic decorator example:

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

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

say_hello()  # This will show messages before and after 'Hello!'

Why would I use decorators instead of just calling a function directly?

Decorators allow you to add functionality to existing functions in a clean and readable way, promoting code reusability and separation of concerns.