Quick Check: Python Decorators

Review

1. What must a decorator do with the function it receives?

   A decorator is invoked with the function object and its returned value becomes the value bound to the function name.
2. What does @add_greeting above a function definition conceptually apply?

   The decorator is applied when the definition executes, not on every later call.
3. Why might a wrapper accept *args and **kwargs?

   A general wrapper can receive and forward the arguments supplied by callers.
4. What does @prefix("VIP") require prefix to produce?

   Calling prefix configures the decorator and returns a decorator callable that receives the function.
5. For @outer above @inner above a function, which decorator is applied first?

   The closest decorator is applied first, and its result is then passed to the next decorator.
6. What does @wraps(func) provide when decorating a wrapper function?

   wraps uses update_wrapper to copy standard metadata and set __wrapped__. Introspection tools can follow that link, but the wrapper implementation still determines how calls are accepted and forwarded.
7. After a class definition decorated with @decorate, what does the class name refer to?

   The decorator’s return value is bound to the class name. Most class decorators return the same or a replacement class, but the language does not force the returned value to be a class.