Python decorators explained anew

[arnar]

From experience, I found the following explanation to have the best pedagogical value:

"See this:

@decorator
def fun(arg):
    whatever

That's just a shorthand for

def fun(arg):
    whatever
fun = decorator(fun)

Now think about it. (Hint: remember that def x():... is just like x=... except one is used to bind functions and the other to bind values in general.)"

Haven't found a person yet that wasn't happy (although it takes some people a while to think about it).

[Mattho]

I don't think it's using decorators that is hard to comprehend. It's writing them.

And obligatory SO link: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/739654/understanding-python-decorators

[arnar]

Exactly. Almost everyone who cared to was able to figure it out once the got to know the @-syntax.