Python: Essential Reference, Third Edition

Decorators

Any function or method may be preceded by a special symbol known as a decorator, the purpose of which is to modify the behavior of the definition that follows. Decorators are denoted with the @ symbol and must be placed on a separate line immediately before the corresponding function or method. For example:

class Foo(object):
    @staticmethod
    def bar():
         pass

More than one decorator can be used, but each one must be on a separate line. For example:

@foo
@bar
def spam():
    pass

More information about decorators can be found in Chapter 6, “Functions and Functional Programming,” and Chapter 7, “Classes and Object-Oriented Programming.”