[Python-Dev] Re: Re: Call for defense of @decorators (original) (raw)

Bob Ippolito bob at redivi.com
Tue Aug 10 19:34:57 CEST 2004

On Aug 10, 2004, at 1:21 PM, Phillip J. Eby wrote:

At 12:07 PM 8/10/04 -0400, Chris King wrote:

Now, is it really that important to a user whether a method is a class or static method? They're all called the same way (so long as they're bound), and most users couldn't care less how a function is implemented. If the distinction is really important to the user, then they will presumably be prudent enough to check for this by looking either just below the function name (or wherever decorators end up), or by reading the docstring if the function author decided to document that. This doesn't apply to other decorators. For example, some decorators turn a function into a property. Others change the (effective) call signature. Indeed, staticmethod changes the call signature, since there is no special first argument. In frameworks where methods can be wrapped in transactions, lock synchronization, security checks, remote communication, etc., these are all decorations that are potentially part of the interface and important for the reader to know, even if they don't look at the method body (apart from the doc string).

Also, most people that call static methods or class methods probably aren't calling them bound to an instance. At least I know that when I use classmethods, it's usually to create instances.

-bob

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