What are some real-world uses of decorators in programming?

What are some real-world uses of decorators in programming?

Decorators are a powerful feature in Python and other languages, used to modify the behavior of functions or classes. For example, they can be used for logging, access control, and caching.

Can you give me an example of a logging decorator?

Sure! Here's a simple logging decorator:

def log_function_call(func):
    def wrapper(*args, **kwargs):
        print(f'Calling {func.__name__} with arguments {args} and {kwargs}')
        return func(*args, **kwargs)
    return wrapper

@log_function_call
def my_function(x, y):
    return x + y

How does this decorator affect the function it decorates?

The log_function_call decorator wraps the original function, allowing you to add logging functionality before and after the function call without modifying its core logic.

Are there any performance implications of using decorators?

Yes, decorators can introduce some overhead due to the additional function calls. However, the impact is usually minimal unless used extensively in performance-critical code.