PEP: 3129
Title: Class Decorators
Version: $Revision$
Last-Modified: $Date$
Author: Collin Winter <
[email protected]>
Status: Final
Type: Standards Track
Content-Type: text/x-rst
Created: 01-May-2007
Python-Version: 3.0
Post-History: 07-May-2007
Abstract
========
This PEP proposes class decorators, an extension to the function
and method decorators introduced in :pep:`318`.
Rationale
=========
When function decorators were originally debated for inclusion in
Python 2.4, class decorators were seen as
:pep:`obscure and unnecessary <318#motivation>`
thanks to metaclasses. After several years' experience
with the Python 2.4.x series of releases and an increasing
familiarity with function decorators and their uses, the BDFL and
the community re-evaluated class decorators and recommended their
inclusion in Python 3.0 [#approval]_.
The motivating use-case was to make certain constructs more easily
expressed and less reliant on implementation details of the CPython
interpreter. While it is possible to express class decorator-like
functionality using metaclasses, the results are generally
unpleasant and the implementation highly fragile [#motivation]_. In
addition, metaclasses are inherited, whereas class decorators are not,
making metaclasses unsuitable for some, single class-specific uses of
class decorators. The fact that large-scale Python projects like Zope
were going through these wild contortions to achieve something like
class decorators won over the BDFL.
Semantics
=========
The semantics and design goals of class decorators are the same as
for function decorators (:pep:`318#current-syntax`, :pep:`318#design-goals`);
the only
difference is that you're decorating a class instead of a function.
The following two snippets are semantically identical::
class A:
pass
A = foo(bar(A))
@foo
@bar
class A:
pass
For a detailed examination of decorators, please refer to :pep:`318`.
Implementation
==============
Adapting Python's grammar to support class decorators requires
modifying two rules and adding a new rule::
funcdef: [decorators] 'def' NAME parameters ['->' test] ':' suite
compound_stmt: if_stmt | while_stmt | for_stmt | try_stmt |
with_stmt | funcdef | classdef
need to be changed to ::
decorated: decorators (classdef | funcdef)
funcdef: 'def' NAME parameters ['->' test] ':' suite
compound_stmt: if_stmt | while_stmt | for_stmt | try_stmt |
with_stmt | funcdef | classdef | decorated
Adding ``decorated`` is necessary to avoid an ambiguity in the
grammar.
The Python AST and bytecode must be modified accordingly.
A reference implementation [#implementation]_ has been provided by
Jack Diederich.
Acceptance
==========
There was virtually no discussion following the posting of this PEP,
meaning that everyone agreed it should be accepted.
The patch was committed to Subversion as revision 55430.
References
==========
. [#approval]
https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2006-March/062942.html
. [#motivation]
https://mail.python.org/pipermail/python-dev/2006-March/062888.html
. [#implementation]
https://bugs.python.org/issue1671208
Copyright
=========
This document has been placed in the public domain.
.
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