What is the purpose of a decorator in Python?

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Answer:

In Python, a decorator is a special type of function that is used to modify or extend the behavior of another function. Decorators allow you to wrap a function and add additional functionality to it without modifying its source code.

The basic syntax for using a decorator in Python is to place an @ symbol in front of the function that you want to decorate, followed by the name of the decorator. For 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!")

In this example, the my_decorator function takes another function as an argument (func) and returns a new function (wrapper) that wraps the original function. When the decorated function (say_hello) is called, the wrapper function is executed, which in turn calls the original function (func) and adds some additional behavior before and after the call.

Decorators are commonly used to add functionality such as logging, timing, or validation to functions. They can also be used to define reusable behavior that can be applied to multiple functions. For example, you can use a decorator to enforce a specific argument signature on a function, or to ensure that a function is only called a certain number of times.

It's worth noting that decorators can also be applied to classes in Python, allowing you to modify the behavior of methods in the same way that you can modify the behavior of functions.

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